Urban Decay
by AlternativePunk
Summary: NOMINATED FOR TWO AWARDS Isabella Swan is the person to go to about love – except she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen -- Inspired by Breaking The Rules by Jazz The Wolf Demon
1. Change

**A/N: Hello lovelies. This is a…very…quick and spur of the moment story. Hope you like? Remember: Reviews are love. **

**Note: Assume Atlantic City is near NYC. 'Cuz I have no idea where it actually **_**is**_**.**

**Summary: Bella was the one person to go to about love – which was hysterical because she had virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date leaves her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen.**

**Please understand that I'm extremely busy nowadays - Volleyball practices are starting soon, high school is being horrible, and I'm taking extra courses from John Hopkins. I'm hoping this will be less that 10 chapters. It will be finished. But I can't promise that it will be updated fast. **

**Unless you guys convince me of it ;). If I get like 100 responses that ask me to update it before I do anything else, than I will.  
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Urban Decay

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Chapter 1: Drunken Amnesia

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**B**

I've been inching to watch the movie – what was it called? – oh yes….cloudy with the chance of meatballs. Something about that title just _struck_ me. Like a bolt of lightning, if you would. As horribly corny as that sounds, the first time I had heard that title that was exactly what I thought. Zap.

I guess that wasn't the best way to start my story, was it? But everyone always says to start things with a _bang_, to reel the person in (as if you guys are fish, am I right?) – No matter how ridiculous, insignificant, or random the statement might be. Everyone _can_ be wrong. Yes, I should probably start by saying I personally believe that I suffer from a branch of OCD. No, I don't take medication, and I'm not like that man in the detective show. I'm not afraid of germs, nor do I fret when I'm attacked by a line of dust (although I _have_ had severe eye infections from them).

What I _do_ know, however, is I need to be in control of my life. Controlling, conniving – whatever you would like to call it. I like to know that whatever endeavor I choose to pursue, that the outlook will always be in my favor. Throwbacks were not an option.

My life was (sense the word 'was') perfect. I had a _great_ job, a wonderful family, a beautiful home, and probably the best friends a girl could ask for. I was without a boyfriend or any type of serious relationship, and that is exactly how I'd like it. Relationships were unpredictable – and, therefore, did _not_ fit my life plan.

But then my life chose to stab me in the back, and do this little thing that everyone does every so often. It changed.

A good or bad change, I can't tell you. _Maybe_ a good change…but then again, it was just as bad as it was good. Let's call it a 'gad' change then. Or, a 'bood' change. Actually, made up words were _not_ the best things to use in this situation, so let's just refer to it as The Change.

I could cue some maniacal laughter or a dash of thunder right about now. The Change! Flashes of lighting, crack bam boom! I can see it now – the best new feature film. Thank you, thank you I would say as I accepted my award for best adapted screenplay.

I'm getting ahead of myself, and I apologize. I suppose I will introduce myself first. My name is Isabella – Bella – Swan. I reside in the bustling city of New York, where the buildings graze the clouds and the lights blind a person every so often. It's beautiful at night – the yellow cabs and the yellow umbrellas in an uproar at rush hour.

I make my living by making sure other people are living their lives. Or rather, that they are living their _love_ lives properly.

It started out as a joke between my friends and I. My friend, Alice, was studying to be a fashion designer (who _is_ doing extremely well for herself right now). Rosalie had a degree in engineering, but she paid the bills by doing what she had the genes for – modeling. I graduated from college with the intent of being an Author – I'd read brilliant novels that captivated me, and I always wanted to create a world that I could call my own.

Writing, however lucrative it could be, is _not_ a great way to start making a living. Alice and Rosalie were well on their way to being _the_ best in the states (Alice's designs are wildly popular, and Rosalie's face was everywhere). _I_ was sitting at home drinking tea.

Alice had made me a Yahoo email address for business purposes (my hotmail tended to send out spam to all my contacts, and a publisher certainly wouldn't want to see that). I found Yahoo a bit overrated, but I sucked it up and went with it. I decided to explore the community and before I knew it, I grew an addiction to Yahoo Answers.

Funny, I know. I answered many questions, and was delighted when I was chosen the best answer. I quickly gained points, and was at the top ten lists within weeks. I was the top contributor to the 'relationships' category – which was _hysterical_ to Rosalie because I hadn't been in a relationship since junior year of college.

The editor of the New York Times approached me with the idea of starting a love advice column – which I refused. Sure I loved giving advice, but I found corresponding with strangers with a column in the newspaper was _not_ going to help them at all.

And then…it happened. A man named Jacob Black approached me. He was funny man, that one. An extremely handsome one too—if he'd been straight, I would have jumped him right then and there. He was olive-skinned with raven hair cut short. He was smiling charmingly, and if I would have swooned if I'd been into that kind of thing. He introduced himself, and explained his dream of creating a show about love.

He offered me a contract to be the headliner of the show – I would be receiving calls from women and men, and I would give them advice on live television. It was a wonderful idea, and I jumped on the wagon. I signed my name, and I have been on that show for years.

The ironic thing was that I was probably one of the most famous love advisers in the country…and yet my love life could be described as nonexistent. You would think I could give absolutely no advice in the world for my lack of a relationship. But the truth was, by being single (and experiencing my fair share of failed romances) I was able to observe the relationships of others (including the up-and-down relationship of Renesmee and Jacob…and the near perfect relationship of Alice and Jasper), and I gave the best advice there was.

Everything was going perfect for me, and I loved it. I loved my life. I wanted nothing to change.

…which is probably why it did.

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_**When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves - Victor Frankl**_

**B**

I woke up precisely twenty minutes ago. I had the coffee machine brewing my delicious black and milk blend. Slipping into my 100% cotton robe, I grabbed my cup of coffee and walked to the living room.

I lived in the penthouse of the Beresford. It was a beautiful home – three bedrooms (two of which were reserved for Rosalie and Alice whenever they needed it) and two bathrooms. It had the perfect kitchen – I _adored_ cooking – and a sizable living room. I'll admit it's a large home for little old me, but when you live the life I live…nothing else is good enough.

Feeling around for the remote, I flipped the TV on and sat comfortably on the couch. The Plasma TV flickered to life. I watched as Ellen DeGeneres – one of my _close_ friends – appeared on the screen. She was grinning, her blond swept bangs covering one of her eyes.

An upbeat song was playing as she danced with the audience.

"Hey everyone!" Ellen smiled, waving exaggeratedly to the audience, "Our first guest today is known as _the _one to go to for love advice! Please welcome Bella Swan!" She stood up, clapping as the audience cheered.

The song that has been plaguing my thoughts for months exploded on the screen as I watched myself walk into Ellen's floor.

_Gotta get-get. Gotta get-get. Gotta get-get. Gotta g-g-g-get-get-get, get-get…Boom boom boom, gotta get-get. Boom boom boom, gotta get-get_

TV me – let's refer to TV me as Bels – danced (slightly awkwardly) towards the middle. I laughed as Bels started twirling. I was so _embarrassing. _Bels hugged Ellen eagerly – I was hugging a freaking mogul – and sat down.

"So I hear you are absolutely terrific at giving advice at relationships!" Ellen gushed, winking. "Let's see some clips of when infamous – and my good friend – Robert Verdi talked to people on the streets about love!"

The camera zoomed into the TV between the seats.

"Thank you Ellen!" Robert exclaimed, absentmindedly adjusting his scarf. "We're going to go around and ask people the same question!"

"Hey there!" He pulled a blond girl away from her boyfriend. "What's your name?"

"Charlie Bishop!" She chirped.

He grinned, "Now, who do you go to when you need help with love."

"No contest! Bella Swan!" She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I grinned to myself.

Robert turned and launched himself towards a group of squealing girls.

"Who do you girls go to for advice?"

They all looked at each other and squealed in unison, "Bella Swan!"

"Thank you ladies," He smiled and approached a man – a delicious man I might add. "And who do you go to for advice on love."

He smiled charmingly, "Only one person. Bella Swan."

"You heard it here, people." Robert grinned to the camera, "Bella – and only Bella – is the one to go to for love advice! See you later Ellen!"

The camera locked on Ellen's face. "Thanks Rob, we'll talk to you later." She focused her playful gaze at Bels.

"I'm scared already," Bels muttered, and the audience laughed.

"How old are you Bella?"

"I'm turning twenty-two this year." Bels smiled proudly.

"Wow! You're only twenty-one and you are already incredibly successful. I heard about the nominations at the Day Time Emmy's. Congratulations!"

"Thanks! I'm not too excited though. We have a tendency to lose in our category."

"Nonsense, I'm sure you'll win this year." The audience cheered.

Bels beamed. "Thanks, Ellen. That means a lot to me."

"Of course! So, you're great at giving advice – thanks for the advice you've given me by the way." She added, laughing. Bels and the audience joined in. "Since you're so good at giving advice on love, I have to ask. How is your love life?"

Bels blushed a little, "I knew that question was going to come up."

"The more the reason for you to answer!"

"Well, I'm not seeing anyone if that's what you're asking."

A series of 'awwws' erupted in the crowd.

"Hey, why are you aw-ing?" Bels laughed, "It's just no guy has caught my eye yet."

"Well it's great that you're keeping to your standards, Bella!"

"When I meet the right guy, who challenges me in ever aspect, and is kind and caring – then I'll come back here and introduce him!"

"That would be fabulous!" Ellen giggled. "Would you say finding a guy like that is difficult?"

"Yeah. I don't like dating off the street. I normally meet people through my friends," Bels glared playfully to the camera, "Thanks for the blind dates, Alice and Rosalie." Bels teased sarcastically.

"Alice? You mean the fashion designer? And Rosalie, the model?" Ellen asked.

"Yup," Bels smiled, "We went to the same college. They're brilliant people, and we've been best friends since then."

"That's great!" Ellen smiled, "We have to cut to commercial for now, but when we get back, Bella will be answering your questions about love!"

_Boom Boom Pow _erupted again, as Ellen and Bels danced a little.

I turned the TV off, rolling my eyes at my horrible answers. _I_ had a TV show, but when I went on someone else's, I always managed to make a fool of myself.

A buzz alerted me that someone was waiting for me downstairs. I knew of only _two_ people who woke up at this time. Actually, let me edit that – I know of _one_ person who woke up at this time, with the audacity to force another girl to wake up with her. Yes – that makes a bit more sense.

I pressed the call button and waited patiently for her voice to fill the room.

"Bella?" Alice's high voice called, distorted a little by the static. "It's a hundred degrees outside and Rosalie is sweating like a hog - I'm sorry Rose but its true...don't glare at me, it doesn't suit you. Stop glaring. Okay, now you just look retarded. You look like a pit bull. Rosalie, stop. Stop! Bella, will you please let us in?"

"Sure, come up." I tapped the button that would open the door. I tightened the tie on my robe, and walked towards the door. Knowing Alice, she was probably outside. I heard a knock, and knew I was right. I opened the door, and walked back to the living room.

Alice had multiple bags in her hands – filled with sketches of her new line, no doubt. The best thing about Alice was also her worst thing. She never stopped working. Rosalie was blowing at her nails, a little bored.

"Why are you here, Alice?" I ventured.

"It's a beautiful day today, Bella. Much too beautiful to waste sitting around here in a cotton robe." She inspected my outfit, "Which, by the way, doesn't match your skin tone at all."

"I'm too busy to leave the house. I'm going to write an outline for our next few shows."

"Bella, you can't keep working." Rosalie quipped. You both have been working nonstop. Let's go live a little."

"I do live…a little. I go out to get my newspaper, I buy my groceries, and I go to the movies once a month."

"Boy am I glad I planned the trip to Atlantic City for us! It'll be legendary." Rosalie grinned to herself.

"Oh right, our trip."

"You didn't forget did you?"

"It's just…I've been so swamped. The new season is coming soon, and there are a whole lot of pilots and different projects emerging. I need to keep the show on top. And I can't do that if I don't work 24/7. And I'm the executive producer for the show now so I have even more work to—"

"_This_ is exactly why we are taking a trip. I do not want to hear anything about work, okay?" Alice grinned. "Just a weekend of pure fun – gambling, hanging out. Then we can go home, and you can go back to work…and then we'll take another trip some other time too."

"When are we leaving?"

"Right now!" Rosalie laughed.

"What? Now?!"

"Our bags are in the car downstairs. You, on the other hand, must get packing _right_ now."

"But I haven't finished the scr—"

"Up ah ah ah!" She stopped me, "I'll help you. You just sit here and look pretty."

Alice was a tornado, grabbing all the clothes from my closet that I would never wear. I liked wearing casual clothes – skinny jeans, a pair of converse shoes, and a fashionably designed blouse. Alice picked the few dresses and skirts I had, as well as the pair of shoes I didn't realize I had.

She tossed me clothes and shoes and told me to put them on now.

I examined the pieces carefully. It was a black cocktail dress with green lining that reached inches above my knees. It had a fitted bodice but it was loose around my thighs. The shoes were an expensive pair of Manolo Blahnik's. I slipped into the dress and heels after taking off my robe.

"You look fabulous," Rosalie commented, "I don't know why you don't dress up like this more often."

"I dress for comfort." I replied, adjusting the fitted bodice carefully. This _wasn't _comfortable.

Alice lugged two bags with her. "Okay, let's go."

"You're done?" I asked, "I take at least a day to pack. I need to think about the necessities I need and—"

"Oh my goodness, Bella! You must learn how to just _live_ instead of over-thinking it all." Rosalie grunted.

"Okay, fine. One weekend. Drinks, gambling, and then we go home." I replied, "Okay?"

"Sure."

We made our way downstairs. Alice's yellow Panamera was parked out front, and we all climbed in. Alice was talking about her latest fashion line, and Rosalie was checking herself out in the rear view mirror. I was strapped into the backseat because I was the youngest. Biased.

"Bella? Can you hear me?" Alice asked.

"What?"

"Jasper's coming with us."

"I thought it was just going to be a girl's weekend?"

"Well, he just happened to be there for a medical conference."

"That was convenient." I commented dryly. "As long as he doesn't get all mushy with you, I'm good."

"Oh, Jasper is going to bring his friend as well."

"What?'"

"His friend. I haven't met him yet, but he's also there for a medical conference."

"Why would I care about that?" I blew at my bangs. "Wait – you're setting me up aren't you?"

"No," Rosalie giggled.

I groaned. "You guys…I thought this was just going to be a laid back vacation!"

"It will be! We're going to meet them tonight. If you don't want to, then we _won't_."

I knew they were lying.

"One night. That's it. I'm not meeting him tomorrow."

"For someone that knows so much about love…you really don't know anything at all."

"Thanks, really."

"You know you love me."

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**B**

We left our bags in the Bali suite of the Palazzo. It was a stunning room, much better than I expected. Although, at its price, it better have been stunning!

"Bella, Jasper is telling us to meet him downstairs at the bar."

I adjusted the dress I was wearing. "Coming." I'd been on a lot of blind dates – all set up by Rosalie or Alice. Sure, they were all lookers, but they weren't interesting at _all_.

"C'mon." Rosalie urged. We stepped in the elevator and rode it to the ground floor. "You look beautiful, by the way."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

We walked into the bar, and Alice immediately launched herself towards Jasper – his blonde hair like a beacon to her. Rosalie rolled her eyes. It was kind of gross to see her best friend so in love with her brother. Her phone rang, her eyes lit up. Probably talking to Tanya - one of our close friends from college.

I sat myself down at the bar, ordering a vodka martini extra dry, with extra olives. I played with the glass in my hand, barely noticing someone sitting next to me.

"Are you here alone?" I turned towards the voice. Sitting in the stool beside me was a man in his twenties, with striking green eyes and sort of angular features. His hair was tousled, but tousled in a way that it looked _purposely styled_ that way. He was incredibly handsome, I'd give him that. But it was just a pretty face.

"Unfortunately, no. My friends over there," I nodded towards Alice and Rosalie. "Are setting me up with a friend of her boyfriend."

"That's funny. My friend is setting me up with his girlfriend's friend." He arched an eyebrow.

"What's the name of your friend?"

"Jasper." He replied, taking a sip from his drink.

"Alice is Jasper's girlfriend." I rolled my eyes, "I guess they set me up with you."

He drank in my appearance. "At least Jasper has good taste." He commented. "You look gorgeous."

I laughed. "Thanks I guess. You're not too bad yourself. My name's Bella Swan."

"I'm Edward Masen."

"Just so you know, I didn't want to be set up." I said, "They always pull something like this on me."

"I understand completely, but what I don't understand is why someone as stunning as you doesn't have a boyfriend."

"I'm against relationships." I waved him off.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm the host of the TV show. The one about love?"

"That's where I know you from! I knew I recognized you from somewhere, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was." He smiled genuinely, and it was a heartbreaking smile. His eyes were smoldering, and I found my heartbeat quickening. "You have a great show." He replied. "I am a surgeon at the hospital in Manhattan."

"That's very impressive." I looked at him. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but how about we just talk and drink tonight. I don't really want to get into a relationship right now."

"Don't worry, I feel the same way. I got out of a very serious relationship about a year ago, and haven't seriously dated anyone since."

I glanced at Alice, who was in a full make out session with Jasper. "They're so in love it's almost disgusting."

He laughed, "I noticed. Would you like another drink?"

"Yes please." He ordered me another glass of a vodka martini.

I brought my glass up. "Here's to being single."

He clinked his glass with mine. "And staying that way."

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**B**

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was naked. Except for a small excuse of underwear – damn Alice's constant shopping at Victoria's Secret – I was completely nude. But I wasn't very surprised – I've slept in the nude before. When I'm too lazy to grab my pajamas after a long day, I just slip my clothes off and climb in bed.

The second thing I noticed was I had mind-blowing headache. It was like my brain was too big for my skull. It throbbed painfully and I groaned.

The third thing I noticed was I wasn't alone in bed. And when I realized that, all hell broke loose.

Now, I don't normally swear – I'm a peaceful person, really – but _this_ situation called for it.

"Who the fuck are you?!" I screeched, jumping out of bed. I wrapped the blanket around my body like a towel dress.

"Wha—" His voice was groggy, and he opened his eyes slowly. He drank in his surroundings, and his eyes widened immediately. "What the hell?" He ran his hand over his bare chest, and realized he was naked too. "Where the hell are my clothes?" He yanked himself out of bed, tumbling to the floor. The blanket I was wearing pulled me with him.

I landed on top of him. Bare chests and all.

"Get off of me!" I yelled, climbing off of him, making sure to keep the blanket wrapped securely around me.

"What did we do last night?" He asked. "My head hurts like shit."

I looked at him for the first time this morning. "Wait, I know you."

He looked at me. "You're…Bella. The girl Jasper set me up with."

"You're Edward." I commented. "What did we do last night?"

"I don't really remember."

"I remember laughing." I replied. "A lot. I laughed a lot. We drank a lot too."

"I remember making that toast, but after that it goes blank."

"Okay." I inhaled deeply. "We drank a lot, and we slept with each other." I thought for a second, tapping my fingers on my chin. "That's it. We'll go our separate ways after this. It was a no strings attached one night stand."

He ran a hand through his deliciously tousled hair. "Yeah, okay." He replied. "It's not like we live close to each other anyway."

"I live in New York."

"I live in Manhattan. That's not _too_ close. We won't cross paths."

"Yeah…" I commented awkwardly. I have never been in a situation like this. This wasn't part of my life plan _at all_.

"Well, anyway. It was nice meeting you…I guess." He replied, just as awkwardly. He grabbed his belt from the floor. He waved at me a little before making his way to the bathroom behind me. Something flashed on his left ring finger.

"Wait!" I called. I had a _horrible_ feeling in my gut. "What the fuck is on your ring finger?" I asked bluntly.

He turned. "What? I don't have any—" He glanced at his finger. "What the?"

"You were _married_? And you still agreed to go on a date with me?" I asked, incredulous.

"No, I'm not married. I don't know how this got here."

I ran my hand through my hair. Something cold spiked my scalp. I glanced at my finger. A simple silver band was on my finger. "What the hell? I'm not married either."

"What's going on?" He asked, bewildered.

An image flashed in my mind. I remembered being in a chapel. A small, little chapel with red roses at the entrance. I remembered the priest dressed as Elvis.

"Edward…" I looked at him cautiously, "What the fuck did we do last night?"

"I don't know." He groaned. I couldn't have gotten married last night. No. It was just a bad dream. It was just a coincidence. I bought a ring, and put it on the wrong finger. He did too. That was it.

Nothing more, nothing less. We slept together. That is it. We'll get on with our lives, separately. It'll be like this night didn't even happen.

He turned and bent down to grab his clothes, exposing his bare back to me.

"Oh shit," I whispered.

There, on his back, in clear block letters were the words that confirmed my fears. _**Just married**_**.

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**A/N: You like? Review please. I don't want to continue this unless you guys like it. A million reviews please =(. I'd love you all for it. First reviewer GETS COOKIES.  
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**Love you!**

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages: 11**

**Number of Words: 3,994**

**Completed: Yes**

**Edited: No**


	2. Mr Right & Mr Right Now

**A/N: Thank you, you guys. Here's the next chapter. I'm really only writing this because I love the title of this story. Urban Decay. Haha. It's my MSN name at the moment too!**

**Summary: Isabella Swan is the one person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, sorreh. **

**This isn't a necessary chapter - more of a filler. If you want a few laughs or smiles go ahead and read. If you wanted to have more details on characters, go ahead and read. If you wanted to go forward in the story, do not read this chapter. It is more of a filler chapter. **

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Urban Decay

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Chapter 2: A Theorem of Sorts

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**B**

I know what you're probably thinking. "Congratulations, Bella! You landed yourself a delicious-looking man." And this _is_ true of course. I'm almost _certain_ that he's a man, and I am _also_ certain that he is scrumptious. When did I get into comparing men to desserts? No wonder I had to lose five pounds!

Don't get me wrong – I'm glad that the man I drunkenly married was _Edward_ and not a random stranger I met at the bar. But please note that this was _Edward_. A man I'd met not even a day before – I've probably only known him for a couple hours. Hell, I didn't even know his middle name.

I was never the type of person to have a one night stand. Even when I was young and reckless, I never even considered it. I didn't go to clubs and bars – I knew the alcohol and music would end with me grinding against a random person in the middle of the dance floor. And _that_ just wouldn't do.

I'm getting ahead of myself again. I have issues with keeping my mind straight – but I've been working on fixing it. It wasn't like I could go on live television and say whatever I want. I'd be fired in a split second if that were to happen.

Before you dismiss me and think of me as a weak female – "How could she have landed herself in such a predicament" – you must understand that I had no control over my actions last night. Sure, I could have stopped drinking at any point of the night. But that's what alcohol does to you. You are constantly thinking "Hm, maybe I'll just have one more" and that one drink would lead to another and another and so on. It's very difficult to stop drinking once you've started.

I hardly ever drink and I hardly ever get into trouble with relationships. I give advice to my friends and to women and men who need it. I live by a completely separate set of rules – one I would like to call the Bella Theorem. It's like the Pythagoras Theorem with a touch of love and arrows.

My equation for love is as follows: Respect (squared) plus Honesty (squared) equals Love (squared). Now, a one night stand demands absolutely no respect and absolutely no honesty. A normal one night stand would normally call for fake names and a night full of fun and lust, but absolutely no love.

The Bella Theorem states that a Mr. Right is out there, and you push him farther away every time you decide you need a Mr. Right Now. What if your Mr. Right was right under your nose, but you lost him because you were too busy with your Mr. Right Now? That would make you feel awful about your decisions.

The Bella Theorem also states that blind dates are haphazard to your health – just as meeting people off the street is too. A blind date is only acceptable if its suggestion is from a good source – Alice, Rosalie, and possibly Jasper were examples of this. Meeting strangers off the street is _not_ a good way to find love.

The Bella Theorem is flawless. And despite what other people may say, always works.

This was the first time that I'd ignored the Bella Theorem – and look what happened. Wham. I'm married to a stranger.

Now, do you understand why I'm the best at what I do? My advice actually works. If you choose to ignore my advice – consciously or subconsciously – you are putting your love life in jeopardy.

I mean, look at me! I'm a living example of it! I spent my entire life obeying the rules and regulations of the BT, and I was doing just fine. After one night of straying from the BT, look what happened to me. I'm married. To Edward Masen – deliciously unattainable not-so-bachelor.

I _so_ couldn't deal with this right now.

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**R**

I was _not_ happy. Bella was supposed to be downstairs, ready to go at 10 AM. Alice was being unorthodoxly audacious, and my ears were beginning to ring. It was 11 in the morning, and my patience was wearing thin.

"Where the hell is she?" I asked, tapping my foot impatiently.

"Just breathe in and out, Rosalie." Alice chirped, her perky demeanor almost annoying in the morning. "She'll come downstairs."

"If she doesn't get down here in the next five minutes, I'm going upstairs to find her."

"Will you please relax, Rosalie?" She rolled her eyes. "She's been working nonstop for the past month. I think she's catching up with her sleep."

"Whatever. She said she'd be down here at 10, and she's already late."

"You're so OCD."

"Look who's talking."

"We should have stayed in the same room. I don't know why we chose to have separate rooms after checking in."

"Are you kidding me?" I rolled my eyes. "You wanted to room with Jasper and I needed a room alone because Tanya was going to call me - she's having a major melt down at the moment -nd I doubted Bella would want to hear it."

She waved me off. "Five minutes have passed." She commented. I nodded curtly and made my way upstairs. Alice followed suit. Her room was on the fifth floor, so we took the elevator. I trudged noisily down the hall, ignoring Alice's warnings. So what if people were sleeping?

I neared her room, and immediately started slamming my fists against her door. I pulled on her doorknob, and it opened. I blinked for a second, before charging in.

"Bella! I swear to god I will beat your perfect little ass if you don't get out of –" I ranted as I walked into her room. It was empty. The bed seemed as if it hadn't even been slept on, her luggage lying unopened on the bed.

"Where is she?" I asked, turning to face Alice.

"I have no idea."

"Come to think of it, I don't really remember where she went at all." I didn't remember the last time I saw her. "When was the last time you saw her, Alice?"

"I'm not sure." She said thoughtfully. "I was busy…with other things."

"I'd rather not hear about this." The thought of her and my brother 'getting it on' was not pretty. "Well, we have to get going. We need to find her _now_."

"Why? What's the rush?"

"Our reservations are in thirty minutes. It isn't like this is a fast food restaurant – it took ages to get a reservation, even when I told them our names."

"Fine. Where could she possibly be?"

"I'll check the lobby. Can you just check around this hall? Maybe she wandered."

She nodded and we went our separate ways. I took the elevator down to the lobby, ignoring the looks the other passengers were giving to me. I looked in the mirrored walls, and I didn't understand why they were looking at me like that. So what if I was a little red in the face? So what if I was blowing impatiently up my bangs.

…so what if I was saying a string of profanities under my breath? We're in Atlantic City for god's sake! There were people drunk out of their minds, taking a shower in the fountains – and they chose to stare at me instead?

"Are you okay?" A man in his twenties looked at me carefully. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I'm fine." I replied coolly.

"Well, that's good. Just checking."

I hummed a little, trying to come off as nonchalant. Despite my profession, I did not like attention. I only posed for photo shoots or billboards to pay the bills. My dream is to get into biotechnical engineering.

"Wait – I recognize you from somewhere." A thoughtful look flashed across his face.

He could have been attractive. Had he been a little taller, with slightly darker hair – I have a soft spot for brunettes - I may have considered flirting with him. I've had a number of failed relationships in the past year. I was Bella's science project.

"Where have I seen you before?" He asked, more to himself. My eyes flashed to the magazine in his hand, which, ironically, had a wave of blond hair on its cover. I could recognize that any where. Granted, I couldn't see my face – his arm was covering it – but I recognized the family tint of the highlights – I have no idea _where_ those highlights came from – and the faint brown streak near the end. Unless someone had full out _copied_ my hair, it had to be me.

"I believe you're holding it in your hand." I replied dryly. I eyed him carefully as his eyes drifted to the magazine.

"You're….You're _the_ Rosalie Hale? The…the _number one woman on the Maxim hot 100_?" He asked in awe, his eyes drinking me in. It was nasty.

I was number one on the Maxim's list? Since when? Why wasn't I notified?

"I am?" I blinked.

"Yeah!" He grabbed another magazine from his pocket – how deep his pockets were I will never know – and pointed at the cover. When did I pose for Maxim? What?

"Oh, well that's interesting." I mused to myself. My publicist was _so_ fired.

"Can I have you're autograph?" He grinned like a thirteen year old boy at a comic book store.

"Sure." I cracked a smile, and he fished in his pockets for a pen. Where the hell did he buy those pants? I signed the magazine hastily, leaving a childish happy face – matched his personality, no? – and left the elevator when it stopped at the lobby.

My eyes darted immediately to the bell boy who'd brought our bags up.

"Hey, you!" I called, gesturing at him. He stood still for a second, before walking towards me.

"Yes, ma'am? What can I do for you?" His accent was as thick as I remembered. It was kind of endearing, really.

"Do you remember me? From yesterday?"

"Yes, of course, ma'am. I could never forget someone as beautiful as you." He blushed a tint of pink. He was a lot younger than several of his colleagues – he may have even been a high school student. I've heard of those exchange programs where you test out a couple jobs to experience life outside of school.

"Why thank you," I eyed his name tag, "Joshua. That's really kind of you."

"What can I do for you, miss?"

"Well, I can't seem to find my friend that I came here with – the brunette with brown eyes?"

"Oh, I remember her." He nodded. "I saw her at the bar last night."

I nodded. I was there. "Yes, I know that. But you wouldn't happen to know where she went after that would you?"

"No, ma'am."

He was of absolutely no help. "Thank you." I turned and looked for another employee. I tried to be nice – hell I was _polite_ even. I said 'sir' once – something completely against my moral code. Being nice obviously wasn't helping. That's what a guy needs. A girl who isn't afraid to stand up for something – who has a fine little temper.

I spent god knows how long scouring the hotel head to toe and threatening all the employees I could see. I was beginning to get annoyed. Actually, beginning was a complete lie. I was completely and utterly _annoyed_. I was losing my temper as I stared down at another bellhop. A passerby actually had to pry him away from my grasp. Stupid prude.

I made my way to the elevator and rode it up to Bella's floor. No one was helping in the lobby – maybe Alice had found her. I walked through the halls - they twisted and turned in many directions – and eyed all the rooms. Housekeeping was busy working on a room – I peered in but saw none of the brown hair I'd grown accustomed to.

I leaned against the wall next to room 509. All this searching was starting to wear me out. Never wear high heels when you are attempting to find your best friend – it's suffering that you don't need to experience. I yawned a little. When I saw Bella, I was going to _kill_ her.

Then I heard a screech that scared the living daylights out of me.

"ROSALIE!"

* * *

**A**

I watched as Rosalie entered the elevator, and I turned in the opposite direction. Rosalie had a knack in _threatening_ people – that's the main reason why she got what she wanted. I peered into the various open doors – did people not care of their own privacy anymore? I heard shrieks of ecstasy from the short hallway to my left, and I hoped it wasn't Bella. That would be _scarring_ to hear her while she was going about her business.

I spent half an hour traveling through the hallway – it was a long, winding hallway…one you could get lost in easily.

I'm a bit more rational than Rosalie sometimes – I am a lot more patient. I knew running around frantically wasn't going to help me at all. I eyed the marble bench near the center of the hallway, and plopped myself on the cool surface. I thought back to the night before.

I remembered going to the bar, and I know Rosalie and Bella were behind me. I had immediately made a beeline towards Jasper – looking delicious as usual in his chosen outfit – and was – er – _enjoying_ his company. Rosalie was off to the side talking on her cell phone.

An image flashed in my mind. Bella had been talking to someone. I remember he was strikingly handsome – the kind of guy you would notice even if you already had a boyfriend (not to say I thought of anyone other than Jasper). They were laughing and they were doing shots. They had made a toast at one point of the night.

I remember he had messy brown hair – with a slight gold tint in the dim light – and piercing green eyes. He was sitting down, so I couldn't be sure, but I think he was about six feet tall with a body not too lean and not too buff. He was swoon worthy – and that was why I respected Bella so much. She didn't get to her status as Love Guru for nothing. She had a way with men – she could ignore them with a snap of her finger, no matter how delicious they looked. Just like at that moment – she was acting as if he wasn't an Adonis.

Come to think of it, the last time I saw Bella, she was talking animatedly with the brown haired man beside her. She had obviously let down her protective walls a little, enough to give him the time of day. Maybe she'd gone with him?

Then I remembered the blind date. Jasper had described him as a twenty-something brunette, about six feet tall. Was it possible said brown haired man was the blind date we had set up?

I took my blackberry from my purse and dialed Jasper's number. His low voice answered with a simple, "Hey love." A smile reserved only for him crept onto my face.

"Hey Jasper." I replied. "We can't seem to find Bella."

"Where do you think she went? She doesn't have a ride anywhere…she must be in the hotel."

"Yeah, I know that. I was wondering if you could tell me who her blind date was last night."

"Oh? Him? His name is Edward Masen. I saw them talking to each other in the bar last night – they seemed it off."

"You wouldn't happen to know his room number would you?" I inquired.

"I do, actually. It's 524. It's near the end of the hall. You can't miss it – it's enormous. He does pretty well for himself."

"That's good to know." I smiled. "I'll see you later. I love you."

"Love you too."

I hung up and made my way towards room 524. I caught a glimpse of it from around the corner, and dashed towards it. The door was slightly open, and I saw a flash of brown hair. A darker, richer color – one that could only belong to _one_ girl in the entire world.

I walked in, with the intent of screaming at Bella for being such an ignorant girl.

The scene I walked into would haunt my dreams for an extremely long time.

Edward was standing on the left side of the bed, a pillow covering his more private areas. His hair was very messy – messier than it was before – and he was grimacing. Bella was on the other side of the bed, a blanket wrapped securely around her. But the pressure from the blanket made her cleavage a little more noticeable. They were bickering with each other, their eyes focused on nothing else. They didn't even notice I was there.

Her eyes were narrowed, and she was screaming about something that had to do with a theorem of some sort. He was rolling his eyes while she tried to adjust her blanket. The blanket fell a little – revealing a little too much – and I heard his intake of breath. What a typical guy reaction.

This, of course, caused Bella to react even more. She screamed at him for _looking_ (not that I could blame him…she _was_ making a scene). I scoffed at his expression, before cursing myself for talking. Their argument was actually getting good!

Both pairs of eyes flashed on me, and my mouth opened to screech the first word that came in my mind.

"ROSALIE!"

* * *

**A/N: I was planning on making it longer – but I have school tomorrow and, therefore, must get to bed. I will have 4 and a half hours of sleep tonight. Fabulous. **

**Anyway, I hope you like it. Please review. I have the next chapter planned and outlined, so it won't take too long to get it out. This doesn't have much of a point (this chapter, I mean) but it **_**is**_** an update, and it adds a couple details to Alice and Rosalie. **

**There will be many changes in POVs in this story – something I enjoy doing – so please know it might be a little confusing. **

**I hope we hit the twenty review mark for this chapter! I would love you all so much!**

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages: 8**

**Number of Words: 3,222**

**Completed: No**

**Edited: No**


	3. Born to Run Wild

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys. **

**Summary:** **Isabella Swan is the one person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Rights go to SM, but I own the plot and any minor characters. **

**There are many reasons why you should read and review this story. Maybe you're reading this story because of the pairing. Maybe you're reading this story for the romance or the humor. **

**But this will have more than that. That Yahoo Answers reference in the first chapter? That's me. This story is based loosely on me. It isn't the story per se – I didn't get drunk and marry a man in the bar – but whenever I start writing the story, that first inner monologue by Bella is always about something I was thinking. **

**I love writing about love. I love schooling people on love. Any advice Bella may give during this story is true. I hope you learn something, or I hope certain things written in this story will make you ooh and aww and make you imagine the person you love. **

**Most of all, I hope you can relate to the advice. I hope that it means something to you. **

**I love you guys for your support on all of my stories. **

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: THE PREMISE OF THIS STORY HAS CHANGED. PLEASE READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS AGAIN. THE PART THAT HAS CHANGED IS THE LITTLE TIDBITS OF ROSALIE AND EMMETT. THEY NO LONGER EXIST. ROSALIE AND EMMETT ARE NOT TOGETHER. I REPEAT. ROSALIE AND EMMETT ARE NOT TOGETHER. **

**Em/R ACTION WILL HAPPEN SOMETIME IN THE STORY, BUT AS OF NOW, THEY ARE NOT TOGETHER. PLEASE NOTE THIS, OR ELSE THIS CHAPTER WILL BE A WEE BIT CONFUSING.

* * *

**

Urban Decay

* * *

Chapter 3: Five Years

* * *

**B**

I've been through a lot of embarrassing moments. I truly believe that any publicity was good publicity. I would hold concerts in the middle of a packed food court in the mall, messing up lyrics and singing off tune – just so people would remember me when they went home. Would it be embarrassing? Yeah. Most people didn't want to hear a wannabe singer belt out a song by Beyonce while they were trying to finish their soup.

But I didn't care much about what they remembered about me. All I knew was that they were going to remember me. They would go home, and recount the story about the crazy teenager who decided to jump on the counter and sing Halo. Or the crazy teenager and her friends who danced to the song Low on the tables with the plastic trees on them.

To this day, I thrive in spontaneity. Perhaps it's against my alternate personality (the one that involves being a perfectionist) but if I were to choose between my two lifestyles, I would choose the brighter, spontaneous one.

People always come up to me to ask me a question about love. Love isn't meticulous. It can't be planned. You might meet a man who is annoying and gawky, and tweaks every one of your nerves. You will never imagine yourself liking him, and then, four years later, you find yourself in a passionate relationship with the man you thought you'd never want.

Love is spontaneous. So why not live your life with spontaneity?

I tell my viewers this everyday. Don't go out and _try_ to find love. Love will find you on its own. You just have to let it.

It might be staring you right in the face, but you ignore it because you deem it too difficult to pursue. Some people put up walls around them. If men see guarded women with these walls around them, they give up. What's the use of trying when the women are so careful in concealing themselves?

This is why you're single. Sometimes, people put up walls…not to keep others out, but to see who cares enough to tear them down. Do not make the same mistake that many men make.

Back to spontaneity.

I've made many spur of the moment decisions. I've done many things that I'd rather not relive. I've had my share of awkward moments.

Some women refuse to believe my advice, or follow my guidance, because they deem me too spontaneous. As if I act only on impulse, and that if they choose to live the same way, they will wind up on their bums with a broken heart.

At first, I believed them. I went through a phase where I planned everything I did. I ended up on my bum with a case of food poisoning. Do not listen to the women who say spontaneity is a hazard. It is the only way to live your life without regrets.

I know now that spontaneity _is_ good. Women tell me that I shouldn't be stupid. That I shouldn't allow my viewers to believe me – you can't imagine the number of phone calls I have received about that. But I never allow these comments to get to me, because I believe in one thing. And this one thing is how I live my life, how I know that I'm living my life right.

People will say that I'm wrong, but I know, deep down, that my mind set will let me live my life without regrets. Who says we can't be crazy? Who says we can't be spontaneous? Who says that we have to be tamed? People are always going to talk about you – might as well give them something to talk about.

In fact, I live my life, abiding to this one thing. And this thing is so important, so inhumanely _true_ that it deserves to be bolded. And I do not bold things very often.

_**Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they're supposed to run wild, until they find someone just as wild to run with.

* * *

**_

**B**

It couldn't have been a pretty sight. I almost felt _bad_ for Alice. I'm sure it wasn't what she wanted to see in the morning. At some point, Edward had covered his misters with a pillow from the floor – god knows _why_ I hadn't noticed that they were out in the open before. It had been awkward.

Very awkward.

"ROSALIE!" She screeched, and I covered my ears instinctively. Almost as if she were a rabbit out of a hat, Rosalie appeared next to Alice, her blond hair messy.

"What's so important?" She glanced at Alice, before her eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked back and forth between me and Edward. "Oh." She bit out calmly.

"Oh my god!" Alice yelled. "You two have been going at it while me and Rosalie have been going crazy looking for you? I soiled my new shoes!"

"Alice…" I warned. Alice almost never got mad, really got mad, so when she did get mad…it wasn't a pretty sight.

"Where the hell did you two go?" Rosalie screamed.

"Rose, _believe_ me when I say that I don't—"

"Don't give me bullshit about this 'I don't know where we went so don't blame me.' crap" Rosalie mimicked.

"Hey! That sounded nothing like me." I argued.

"If I may, I'd like to—" Edward began.

"Who the hell are you?" Alice and Rosalie asked in unison. Rosalie gave him the once over, and I couldn't tell from her expression whether she liked what she saw or not.

"I'm—"

"Never mind, that doesn't matter." Rosalie waved him off. I almost laughed. "Do you have any idea how worried I was, Bella? God knows where you could wind up when you're drunk!"

I felt like a teenager again. "Well, _sorry_, Mom." I rolled my eyes. "I'm twenty-one Rosalie! I can do whatever I want! I'm a big girl!"

Alice snorted. "Yes, a big girl who got drunk and went home with a guy who could be a serial rapist."

"Hey! I resent that." Edward said, looking a little crossed.

"Edward." I warned. "Shut up and sit down." He sat down immediately, his eyes shining with annoyance.

"Now, Alice." I glared at her. "Weren't you the one who set me up on this blind date in the first place?"

"Yeah, but I didn't tell you to go home and fuck the guy!"

"Well you didn't tell me to get married to him either!"I yelled, tugging the sheet closer to my body. "I did that just _fine_ on my own!"

The room fell silent. Rosalie stared at me, her mouth agape, as if I'd grown a second head. Alice gazed at Edward, waiting for a denial that never came. When the silence stretched too long, Alice spoke.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

I was having a silent conversation with Rosalie, and Edward seemed to notice I was preoccupied. He explained for me. "Last night, we were drunk out of our minds. Somehow…we wandered into the chapel in the casino, and we sort of…kind of…may have gotten married."

"No, you couldn't have." Rosalie had calmed down, but she was staring at me like she didn't even know me anymore. "I know you like being spontaneous, but you've never been stupid. If this is a joke, Bella, it isn't funny."

"It's not a joke." I said quietly. "I wish to God that it is…but it's not a joke. It happened…"

"How _drunk_ could you have possibly gotten, Bella?" Alice yelled. Her anger had not stopped. "You have _so _much ahead of you. You finally got your life straight after your career in writing. How could you have let this happen? How could you have possibly have been so incredibly _stupid_ to—"

Rosalie put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Alice, don't." She turned to me, her eyes burning with desperation. "Bella—"

"Get out." I said, simply.

"What?"

"I said, get out." I pointed at the door. "I don't need this kind of crap when I'm suffering from a fucking horrible hangover. I don't need to take this shit from you guys when my life is in shambles right now. You guys think you've got it bad – catching your best friend in a mess like this? Well guess what. I'm _living_ this mess so get the hell out."

"Bella—" Alice started. Rosalie grabbed her hand.

"If she doesn't _want_ us here, then why are we even bothering staying here? Perfect little Bella always has to get what she wants – ever since she got that god damn TV job she's been living like she owns everything." Rosalie bit out. "Let's just get out of here, Alice."

She pulled Alice out of the room, and Alice's face was filled with regret. _Sorry _she mouthed. I didn't even look at her.

Once they were gone, I let out a deep breath. I could have fainted from how exhausted I felt. "You okay?" He asked, staring at me with concern. I nodded mutely, and he helped me sit back down on the bed. I was feeling sick and I was annoyed and hung over. I couldn't handle all this in the morning.

Then I realized I was angry at Edward too – _he_ was my problem not them.

"When I said for everyone to get out, I meant you too." I looked at him, and nodded towards the door.

His green eyes blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I can't _handle_ all of this right now. I need you to get out. You're the worst of my problems, so please, just leave."

"Telling me leave won't fix your problems, Bella."

"You're the last person I want to see right now, Edward. Don't take this personally. It's just…this kind of thing doesn't happen to me. And I can't deal with it right now."

"Bella, please. We have to talk about—"

"Edward." I whispered softly. His eyes met mine, and I could see the silent desperation reflect from my eyes to his. I must have looked lost beyond belief, which is probably why he didn't say anything when I grabbed his arm, and pushed him towards the door.

I grabbed my clothes off the floor, and pulled on my dress. How did I get myself into a mess like this?

* * *

**E**

I was dazed for a moment. Her eyes were so desperate, searching, as if she was lost. It was almost as if she didn't even know who she was any more. For a moment, my mind was fogged by how frightened she looked. I felt guilty – I was just as involved as she was.

It was after a few moments that I realized I was standing in the middle of the hallway, naked with the exception of my pillow. I looked down, and I realized that I wasn't covered in the least. I turned around and banged my fists on the door. "Bella! Bella please let me in! I'm naked out here!"

A few people from the rooms around us started walking down the halls. They stared at me as if I'd lost my mind – which I probably had. A couple of kids were snickering, and I did my best to ignore them, but I could feel myself growing more embarrassed by the minute.

"Bella! Please!"

When I got no reply, I groaned in frustration. An old couple from the room across from us went out to get the newspaper. The elderly lady glanced up and pointed at me, yelling something in German. I dropped my pillow in surprise, and the old man came at me with his cane – I assume he thought I was coming on to his woman.

I grabbed my pillow off the floor, and sidestepped my way down the hall. I had to find a way out somehow. I made sure to cover my more private areas with the pillow while keeping my arse hidden and facing the wall.

I spotted a telephone near end of the hall. I looked around me quickly, noting that there wasn't anyone walking down the hall. I lifted the pillow and sprinted towards the telephone. Dialing Jasper's number, I waited for him to answer.

"Hello?" His voice sounded tired.

"Jasper?" I asked, uncertainly. God knows I'd made enough mistakes in the past few days.

"Edward?" His voice was confused. "Why are you calling me?"

"I'm in a lot of trouble, Jasper. You've got to help me."

"What could you have done now?"

"I may have gotten married."

"Married? To who!?" His voice immediately sounded alert.

"…Bella." I admitted, defeated.

"You…" He drew in a ragged breath. "You got married…to BELLA? Alice's best friend, BELLA?"

"Perhaps." I said, lamely.

"Oh god, you just about ruined her image for her TV show." He yelled through the phone. "You both ruined her TV show. This is horrible."

"I didn't have any power over my actions last night! We were both drunk off our heels."

"That didn't mean you had to go marry her!"

"I didn't know any better!"

"Where are you now?"

"I'm in the hallway. She kicked me out without my clothes."

He laughed. "So wait, let me get this straight. You're streaking in the hallways of one of the best hotels in the city?"

I glanced at my pillow concealed area. "Yeah, pretty much."

"That's hysterical – well, not for you. Why don't you go back and get your clothes?"

"She's mad." I said simply.

"Bella is scary when she's mad."

"Tell me about it."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to run back and try to get my clothes. Do you have any advice?"

"She gets annoyed easily. Just keep banging on the door, and duck if you see she's about to hurl something at you."

"Yeah, thanks, that's really helpful."

"And just so you know, Edward. You better hurry up."

"Why?"

"The Medical Convention's general assembly starts in about four minutes. I'm on my way up the elevator as we speak. The preliminary meeting is on your floor – all the major surgeons and lecturers are going to be there. You don't want to earn the title of the crazy naked surgeon."

"…oh….shit."

"Good luck, Edward. I'm rooting for you." He snickered.

I hung up, and glanced around the hallway. It was still empty. I sprinted back to the room where Bella was at – which reminded me…it was _my_ room.

I banged my fists on the door. "Bella! Open the door!"

I received no answer. I hit the doors harder, turning the knob frantically. I heard the elevator ding.

"Bella! Please! I'm naked out here!"

I heard the elevator doors open.

"BELLA!" I yelled, nearly punching a hole through the wall.

The door to the room opened slightly. My clothes were thrown through the gap like lightning. I fished through the pile and picked out my boxers. I slipped them on and got rid of my pillow. I heard the voices of a group of men down the hall. I lifted my gaze, and saw their shadows on the wall. I grabbed the remaining clothes on the floor, and ducked behind the large vase near the corner of the hall. Their footsteps were getting louder now, and I could hear their conversation.

I threw my dress pants on and my long sleeved shirt. I fixed the color and jumped out from behind the vase. I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed that they hadn't realized I was hiding behind the vase.

A balding man with thick bifocals examined me. "Well, hello there. Who are you?"

"Dr. Edward Masen." I greeted, breathlessly. Get a grip! "Head surgeon of the Manhattan Cedars Hospital."

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Masen."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Dr…?"

"Dr. Chance."

Holy _god_. This was the head lecturer of the conference. If he had caught me running down the hall naked…I would have been fired.

"It's a pleasure."

"May I ask you a question Dr. Masen?"

"Anything, sir."

"Why are your pants on backwards?"

* * *

**R**

"I feel like shit." I muttered, flopping back on my bed. Alice sat in the recliner in the corner.

"You're just moody today, Rose. Don't worry about it."

"I pretty much stabbed my best friend in the back, Alice. She's going through this mess and I added to her problems."

"It just surprised me."

I sighed. "I hope she forgives me."

"She always does, you know?"

"She's too kind for her own good."

Alice nodded. "It's amazing that she's still single." She threw a hand over her mouth, her eyes twinkling in amusement. I threw my head back and laughed.

"God, Bella is married now. Bella. The girl who can't stand to be in a relationship for more than a few days. _Married_."

Alice laughed. "We shouldn't be laughing about this."

I blinked back tears from my laughing fit. "Ye-yeah." I choked out.

A knock on the door stopped our conversation. I looked at Alice, and she sighed, and walked to the door.

"Yes?" She asked through the door.

"…Alice? Rosalie?" Bella's soft voice came from the other side of the door.

Alice immediately opened the door and threw her arms around Bella's petite frame. "Bella! I didn't think we'd see you for a while. I'm so sorry we acted that way."

Alice withdrew her arms and they moved into the room, closing the door soundly behind them.

I sighed, and locked gazes with Bella. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

She smiled a little. "It's okay. We act pregnant when we're angry."

I laughed. "True dat."

"Don't ever say that again." Bella laughed, and the mood immediately lightened.

"How are you?" I asked, a little hesitant.

"Don't ask that." She sighed. "I'd take up all your time with my answer."

Alice nodded understandingly. Bella spoke again. "Can we leave Atlantic City, please?" she asked timidly. "I know I'm being selfish for asking you to cut the vacation short…but I'd really love to be home right now."

"Of course, Bella. That's not a problem." Alice smiled. "I'll look for my valet ticket after this."

She nodded appreciatively. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." I smiled. "What did Edward say?"

Her face fell. "I was too scared to face him." Her expression turned pained. "I'm such a coward. This was partly my fault, and I blamed it all on him."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not an everyday occurrence – you're just a bit surprised I think."

"I'll talk to him when we get back home." She muttered, and that was the end of that. She started to leave the room, and we didn't stop her. She needed time alone, and we'd be the worst types of best friends if we didn't leave her alone. I knew she was going to be miserable for a little while – maybe cry a little. Everyone deserved a good cry, and sometimes, that's all you need.

"Do you think she'll talk to him?" Alice asked once she left.

"No chance in hell." I replied, easily. "She's too terrified to have a rational thought."

"You noticed?"

"It's obvious. What's even funnier is that she'll probably end up liking the guy too." I smiled a little. "Irony has a tendency to pick on her."

Alice laughed, and nodded. "True."

"So tell me. What's her husband's name?"I suppressed a smile. Bella had a husband. It was like an apocalypse.

"Edward…Edward Masen, I think. Dr. Edward Masen. He's Jasper's friend."

"Masen, huh?" I furrowed my brow. "That sounds incredibly familiar."

"Masen is a fairly common last name." Alice shrugged.

"Maybe, but it's so familiar for some reason. Did we know anyone with that name?"

"Not that I remember."

I frowned. "I'll figure it out later."

"We should probably start packing if we're going to leave tomorrow."

"I thought we were leaving today?"

"Nah, let's just stay her for a little while. I have about four hours worth of quarters in my bag."

I laughed. "I'd like some of that. Is that okay?"

"Naturally."

* * *

**E**

I sat in my room, fuming. Bella had left – probably to move to her own room. I glanced at the mess we made on the bed, and the various pillows and sheets on the floor. I had taken a quick shower in an attempt to wash away traces of the alluring woman I slept with. It worked, but I could still feel it in my blood. It was driving me crazy.

After sitting down in silence, the events of last night drifted into my mind. I haven't slept with someone since my disaster of a relationship with Victoria. Sure, I had been drunk when we had sex, but that didn't mean I didn't feel everything that we had done. The sad thing is, I remembered I everything that happened last night. I remembered going to my room after getting drunk out of our minds at the bar. On the way to the elevator, we'd spotted a quirky sign to the entrance of the chapel. Bella snagged a cup of quarters from one of the slot machines and we had entered the chapel, getting married in front of an Asian Elvis and a drag queen.

I ran a hand through my hair. When did I ever get into a mess like this? Not since high school when I was caught smoking in the courtyard.

I guess we could get an annulment since we were drunk. I glanced at the glinting gold band on my left ring finger. It was nothing special, just a simple band made of cheap materials. For some reason, I couldn't make myself take it off. It felt almost wrong to even consider taking it off.

"I should probably talk to Bella." I muttered to myself. I got up to my feet, and had an immediate head rush. I've always been superstitious. That couldn't have been a good sign.

I flopped back into bead, burying myself in the thick blankets. "Aw, what the hell. Five more minutes."

* * *

**A**

"Do you really have to go?" Jasper whispered, grazing my hand with his fingertips.

"Yeah." I sighed. "Bella needs some time back home. And it is partly my fault anyway."

"How do you figure?"

"We set them up on the date in the first place." I reminded him.

"But we didn't tell them to get drunk and married." He reasoned. His eyes were pleading. I didn't want to go, and he didn't want me to go. In truth, we had gone to Atlantic City for a little time off work. I'd spend the days with my friends, but the nights would always be ours. Just him and me.

"Bella didn't want to go on the date – but I forced her. I always force her. I just never listen." My eyes dropped.

He lifted my chin and our eyes locked. He leaned in and captured my lips with his. I wrapped my arms around his neck, as I let my desperation break free. I needed him more than he could possibly understand. We were still in a heated exchange until a jolt in the door brought us back to our senses.

Rosalie, blue eyes furious and blond hair sticking to her face from her sweat, stood in all her glory as she threw the doors open. I waited patiently.

"We're fucked!"

"Why? What could have possibly happened that could be worse than Bella marrying a stranger?" I asked. Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I remember where I heard that name." she groaned, flopping down on the floor. "And we're fucked."

"Calm down, Rose." I said. "Tell me what's going on."

Rosalie's eyes zoned in on her brother. Jasper flinched a little – and I almost laughed. Rosalie was the only person he was afraid of. "Why did you set my best friend up with a Masen? She's finally got her life on track – she's famous for God's sake. This blind date may have ruined her life!"

"What's wrong with Edward?" Jasper asked, confused.

"Rose, please just take a few breaths." I sighed. "What's going on?"

She exhaled noisily. "Bella's new husband is the cousin of Emmett Masen!" She snarled, and I knew she was very close to strangling Jasper with her bare hands.

My eyes widened at the mention of his name. Emmett Masen. _The_ Emmett Masen. "So?" Jasper asked. He was clueless.

"Wait, Jasper." I said, moving towards to Rosalie. "We'll just have to do some damage control. Grab a hold of some of your people, and I'll get my publicist. We'll need to make sure the press doesn't know about this."

"We have to get home now." Rosalie muttered. "It's not our job to take care of Bella. But if its her life at stake, than she's my first priority."

"Same here. Go pack. I packed already. We'll leave when Bella's ready." I said. She nodded and left the room.

"What am I missing?"

"Emmett Masen…he's a fucking powerful person in the entertainment industry. His show is the leading competitor to Bella's show. This could ruin her!"

"I didn't know, I promise."

"I'm sure you didn't…but if he finds out about this…Bella's career is as good as gone."

"But Edward is his cousin. Wouldn't his involvement have some backlash on Emmett's career as well?"

"No. Edward's a doctor. He has nothing to do with the industry we're in." I groaned, thinking of Rosalie. "Rosalie is going to be a helluva more angry and annoyed than she was this morning."

"Why?"

"Rosalie and Emmett…well, they used to have a…you know. _Thing_."

"What? Really? Why didn't I know about this."

"They were in love." I shook my head. "They're careers got in the way. She didn't want anyone to know. It was in college. It didn't end very well…and they haven't spoken to each other since. We know that Rosalie still loves him, even though she refuses to admit it."

"Rosalie? She never has luck in relationships."

I frowned. "They were so close. Almost got engaged – god knows what happened."

The door opened a little, and Bella's head popped through the gap. "I'll be waiting downstairs, Alice. We have to go as soon as we can."

"I'll be right there." I nodded. I kissed Jasper one last time, before grabbing my luggage and leaving the room. "I'll miss you." I called.

"I'll miss you too. I'll see you when I get home."

"I'll be waiting."

* * *

**R**

I told them to wait in the lobby of the hotel. I told them to hang out and play with the slots. I told them to enjoy themselves. I wasn't going to be back for hours. The drive to Manhattan was long, and I didn't want Bell and Alice to come with.

I had some things I needed to settle alone.

I grabbed the keys of Alice's Panamera and ran to valet. I jumped into the driver's seat. I could hear my heart beating, and my breaths were ragged. I couldn't stand it. I could barely breathe every time I had to stop at one of the lights. I was lightheaded.

I was not going to see a person she wanted to see, or even a person I liked, or even a person I tolerated. Right now I was about to meet the devil incarnate, the devil himself even. The most cunning and ruthless male I've ever known in my life. The man who had stolen my heart when I was a wet-behind-the-ears freshman in college, and had never given it back to me: Emmett Masen.

When I arrived at the studio – the god damned studio he had dreamed of when we were still in college – I could barely stand up. I left the car for the valet, and moved towards the building. I rode the elevator to the executive floor. I couldn't maintain my breathing.

I paused outside the office with his name on it. I straightened the dress I was wearing – god, he was going to think I was dressing up for him – and knocked on the door. I heard the voice I had tried to hard to forget. "Come in."

I opened the door, and tucked a blond lock behind my ear. I stepped in fully, and he turned in his office chair. Our eyes locked, and I saw them widen a fraction, before his surprised expression was masked with a blank one.

I haven't seen that face in five years.

* * *

**Em**

I stared at the statuesque blond standing at my doorway. I could hardy believe what I was seeing. I knew a friend of Bella's would come, but I thought Alice would have taken the burden of coming to me.

Not Rosalie.

She had not changed at all since I last seen her. Sure she had matured a little, but she was still as beautiful as I remembered. She moved with the same angelic grace, and her eyes still held that glitter of supremacy and defiance that had fueled so many fights between us. The same eyes that fueled the fight that became our downfall. She still had the power to make me lose my breath just by smiling.

"Rosalie." I said evenly. You couldn't be in this business without a poker face, and without the ability of maintaining your emotions.

"Emmett." Her voice was somber, but I could sense the distaste in her words. I had to control my memory, hoping to stop the onslaught of flashbacks that I sealed after she left me all those years ago.

"We have a problem." I replied, trying to mask what I was feeling. I didn't want her to see the effect she still had on me. Even after five years. My heart and my mind could never forget her.

"Yes." She moved forward, her hips swaying the way I had memorized. Her eyes were captivating. She sat down in front of me, and I had to keep my breathing even. "You're cousin. My best friend."

"A scandal like this could ruin my career, as well as hers." I replied. "One of my friends called me from his Medical Convention and told me he saw my cousin running naked in the hall, yelling Bella's name. I thought one of you would come here, but I didn't expect that it would be you."

She ignored my comment. "She wants an annulment as soon as she can. It would be the best for all of us. I'd hate to see her suffer any more than she has to."

"That could still affect her career, Rosalie." I couldn't bring myself to call her Rosie or Roza the way I always did.

"That's not your concern, Emmett." She said, icily. I cringed. "I'll care for Bella, you worry about your cousin. Hopefully, our paths won't cross again." She stood up, and I followed her.

"I hope so too." I lied between my teeth. "Have a good day."

"You too." She nodded. We exited the room together, leaving in separate directions as if we were polite strangers having only met each other. We parted the same way we had five years ago. I felt the same way I did five years ago. Five years made us older, but not wiser, at least when it came to what my heart craved. Putting distance between us was the only way to ensure strength, to guarantee survival…to avoid getting hurt.

….But love didn't guarantee a happy ending.

* * *

**A/N: I hope this mess of a chapter wasn't too confusing. I'm sorry that I threw this Emmet/Rosalie thing on you. I hop you understand that this was an idea that popped in my head whilst I was writing Bella's monologue for this chapter…and I really hope you keep reading. It adds a bit of drama to this, something I think it was lacking. **

**If you have any questions, please ask. **

**Remember…Review is LOVE. **

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages: 15**

**Number of Words: 5,612**

**Completed: Yes**

**Edited: No**


	4. Car Crash

**A/N: Thanks so much for your support you guys. You people are phenomenal. Starting with this chapter, I'm going back to my habit of responding with reviews. They should be found at the bottom, after the ending authors note. **

**Disclaimer: All rights to SM**

**Summary: Isabella Swan is the one person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen.  
**

**I just want to say that I'm very happy that you guys like this story. With all of my stories, I try my best to make them as unique as possible. I'd hate it if someone were to open my story, take a look at it, and say "I've read something exactly like this before." **

**All my stories come from the most retarded places. I might be drinking juice from a can, and suddenly come up with an idea of Edward and Bella going bowling. It's all random and they never make sense, so I really hope that these ideas are my own. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter**

**[I'm improving in updating quicker!!]

* * *

**

Urban Decay

* * *

Chapter 4: A Car Crash Kind of Love  


* * *

**B**

Having the love of your life break up with you and say, "We can still be friends" is like your dog dying and your mom saying "You can still keep it." Personally, I'd rather _not_ have the carcass of my dog lying around the house.

There are people who would laugh at the quote, and think it is one of the stupidest similes they have ever read. But that's probably because they've never _really _been in love.

Rosalie…well her situation is a bit complicated. Five years ago, Rosalie and Emmett decided to end their relationship – over an incredibly superficial fight. They hadn't parted very mutually, but they decided to leave with that overused cliché "we can still be friends."

And here comes the age old question: Is it possible to be friends with your ex?

Now, you'll hear, almost every time you ask the question, the following sentences (in a variety of different forms, of course): "It is easier to turn a friend into a lover, than turn a lover into a friend." It may be one of the corniest, unremarkable quotes you will ever hear, and it isn't always right. It is possible to make your ex a friend – all it takes is persistence.

If you love that person enough, you'll put your heart into keeping them close – even if it is only as a friend.

The thing about Rosalie and Emmett…is that they loved each other _too_ much, and keeping each other close was not an option, _unless_ it meant they were back in a relationship. Five years passed with very little contact between the two of them – though I am not saying Rosalie didn't _try_ to find him on the internet or in the phonebook. God knows how many days I found my web history spammed with the pages she encountered after spending the night Googling him.

For five years I've seen Rosalie jump from one relationship to the other. I've seen her try to replace that void in her heart. I've watched as she got home after breaking up with a guy, only to meet another the next day. I've seen her heart broken – no, that was wrong. It had always been broken. Every relationship was just a notch on her bedpost. Just a check in her list. She tried to replace him. She needed to replace him…She's failed every time.

Sometimes, when you can't get someone out of your mind….they're probably supposed to be there.

Rosalie learned it the hard way. And now, she's right back to where she started five years ago. It was like she was a sophomore all over again.

I was at the opposite end of that spectrum. I felt _old_. I was _married_. I'm twenty-one and I have a husband. I'm an old woman trapped in a barely-legal year old body.

Fantastic.

* * *

**R**

I sat on the couch of my remarkably decorated living room. It was still dusk, and I hadn't bothered to turn on the light. The only light in the room was from the silver moonlight, flashing to the mirrors on the tables and on the walls.

I had a pillow pressed tightly to my body. I felt like I was twenty again. I felt as vulnerable as I did then – and I wondered if I was kidding myself. I'd never changed. He irreversibly changed me, and it was about time I accepted the fact that I couldn't go back to the way I was before I met him.

I must not be a very good best friend. Bella was in the middle of a crisis – an urgent, life-altering crisis at the age of twenty-one. I'm three years older than her, and here I was, sulking like a child in my living room. It was pathetic.

I was pathetic.

I hugged the pillow tighter. His heavy lidded eyes flashed in my mind, and I cringed. That smirk…those eyes….that hair…it was just too _familiar_. I didn't want to remember all the stupid fights we'd gotten into during those years – and I especially didn't want to remember the unbearably sweet moments we'd shared.

It was too much…

Bella didn't know this, but I saw him once. Two years ago. I was walking down to one of my many pit stops before the magazine shoot.

His hair was longer than I remembered, but his eyes held that same mischievous glint, and his smirk was as playful and as alluring as it had always been. He was a little taller but I could still see that boy I had fallen in love with three years before – that boy who dreamed more than anyone I'd ever met.

He was sitting in one of the quaint café's that this city offered. Except for a couple in the corner, he was the only one there. He had chosen to sit outside, just like we always used to – "Why not go oh natural, Rosie?" He hadn't seen me, and I felt something close to a stalker as I watched him like a hawk.

A girl had come. She was decently attractive – had shoulder length dark brown hair. I felt a stab at my heart – I couldn't see myself in her…I could see that soft air of shyness around her…I could see that beautiful caramel hair. I could see how she bit her lip, how she followed and laughed at whatever he said. He had succeeded in finding a replacement for me. He had succeeded in finding someone who didn't have all the flaws I had. Someone who wasn't compassionate, who wasn't opinioned. Someone who wouldn't argue when he wanted something…someone who he could love.

I couldn't breathe.

I ended up missing the shoot that day. I ended up sitting on that bench across from the café, watching as she flirted with him relentlessly. I could feel my breath catch when she ran her hand down his arm. I could feel my fists clench when I saw him smile at her. The way he used to smile at me. Only it wasn't the same.

I was watching it as a spectator. It wasn't the same. It had a hard edge to it.

I couldn't pull my eyes away. I stayed there till late afternoon, only leaving when they'd gone their separate ways.

I didn't know why I couldn't stop watching. I don't know why I had an urge to follow them. I don't know why I wanted to be her.

Watching them was like a car crash. You really don't want to look…but you can't stop staring.

* * *

**B**

I won't lie to you. I was scared. Rosalie had been gone for hours – she didn't give us a _clue_ about where she had left to. She gave us each a cup of quarters, and swift a kiss on the cheek, before grabbing Alice's keys and heading out. And it's been hours since she left.

I finished over three cups of quarters. Alice was dozing off in one of the waiting chairs. I shifted uncomfortably on the chair I was sitting on – out of all the beautifully designed chairs, I chose to sit on the scratched up leather stool.

Smart, Bella. Real smart.

"…Bella?"

I snapped my gaze to the side, and found an almost smiling Edward staring at me. I returned the smile with a small one of my own.

"Hey, Edward." I said, softly. I felt horrible for leaving him in the hallway like that – it must have been terribly embarrassing. God knows someone with his title should not be streaking one of the fanciest hotels in the history of the city.

"Can we talk?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

I swallowed roughly. "I think that'd be a good idea."

He offered me his hand, and I took it. He helped me off the stool – which wobbled a little.

"Of all chairs, you chose the deformed one?" He chuckled.

"Everyone deserves a chance." I shrugged, "It isn't easy to fit in! Sometimes it's better to stand out."

"You realize you're not on television right?" He smirked. "You don't need to give advice about everything."

I flushed. "I'm sorry, I guess I forget sometimes."

"That's fine." He smiled. "I do it all the time. I have to force myself to _not_ cut people open when I'm waiting in line at the McDonalds."

"I really hope you're kidding, Edward." I laughed. "Some people actually do that."

He just laughed.

"Where are we going?" I asked, looking around. "I thought you said we needed to talk?"

"We _are_ talking." He pointed out. "And in any case, it's a good idea to go somewhere where we'll remain inconspicuous. Preferably with a lot of other people – god knows what happens when you lose your temper."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Here it comes…" he whistled.

"Shut up." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that frisky when I'm mad."

"I beg to differ." He replied. "Do I need to remind you of what happened this morning?"

I blinked. "I knew that this would come up."

"Well, I _was_ left stranded, naked –save for the pillow – in the middle of a hallway around noon."

"I apologize for that." I said, genuinely. "I wasn't thinking straight, and I'm sure you weren't either. At least nothing too bad happened, right?" I prompted, hopefully.

"Actually, I had a few…moments that were especially embarrassing this morning." He admitted.

I cringed. "Like what?"

"Well, for one, the head lecturer noticed my pants were on backwards. When I turned around, my fly was still open, and my shirt was sticking out of it."

I giggled. "That's priceless." His eyes narrowed. "As in, those shoes. Yeah…"

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, here's the perfect place. No one will realize we're talking about what we're talking about, and around all these people, you won't attack me."

I looked around. "…the bar?"

"The most crowded place in the hotel." He shrugged.

He brought me to one of the bar stools. I hopped on. "What do yer want?" The bar tender drawled, his accent thick.

"A vodka martini, please. Extra dry with extra olives." I ordered.

"And you?" his gaze turned to Edward.

"Kamikaze, dry." He replied, waving him off.

"Nice choice." I commented.

He shrugged. "Can't live life being afraid of being drunk."

"Well said." I laughed. "I'll be sure to put that on my next show."

We chatted about random things, before my drink came. I sipped it, and I was hit by a startling wave of déjà vu. "Do you realize this is exactly how _the_ night started?"

He blinked. "You're right. You're even drinking the same cocktail."

"Wait, you didn't bring me here to take advantage of me again are you?" I was half teasing and half serious. I put down my drink, quirking my eyebrows.

"What do you take me for?" He asked. "I'm not a rapist. Trust me."

I laughed. "I'll be the judge of that."

He quirked an eyebrow. "You're strange."

"So are you."

"I think we should start over."

"That'd probably be a good idea."

He smiled a little. The bartender shoved the glass towards Edward, and he grabbed it easily. Taking a sip, he turned around and left. I cocked my head to the side, but he had disappeared in the sea of buzzed people.

I twirled the tip of my finger in my drink, before licking it off with a _pop_. I felt like a child, sticking my hands in a bag of cheesy chips and sucking the cheese off my fingers. It always tasted better that way.

I felt someone sit beside me. I turned around. Edward was sipping his drink, smiling friendlily.

"Hello." He said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Uhm, Hi." An involuntary smile crept onto my face.

"May I ask for your name?"

"Isabella Swan – though my friends call me Bella most of the time."

"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He commented, winking.

I rolled my eyes at the lame line.

"My name is Edward Masen." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I wasn't fazed. Two could play at this game. I trailed my hand down his arm. "No, the pleasure is all mine."

He blinked. "Cheap shot."

I laughed. "I think we've done enough goofing around, Edward. We have to talk about our situation."

He face immediately turned serious. He nodded, taking the seat beside me. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, Jacob just called me and told me one of my possible sponsors are asking for an interview." I replied, frowning. "He _also_ knew that I was married to you, and he wasn't very happy."

"I'm assuming Jacob Black is your boyfriend?" He asked.

I laughed heartily, sipping my martini. "I'm sorry!" I sputtered. "That's hysterical!"

He frowned. "Why is that funny?"

"I'm not going to lie to you – Jake is _gorgeous_. Unconventionally and incredibly _gorgeous_. But it's never going to happen."

"Why? I doubt he'd choose not to date someone like you."

I rolled my eyes. "That's a strange indirect compliment." I commented. "Anyway, Jake would never go for a person like me."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I think it has to do with the fact that I'm a girl."

He blinked, before he laughed, finally understanding. "Got it." He nodded.

"Anyway, let's get back to our situation."

"What do the sponsors have to do with our issues?"

"Well, I'm assuming since _Jacob_, who's my publicist/friend by the way, found out…that means the press is going to find out soon. And in any case, there are eyes everywhere. Someone must have seen us and must have called the press. I'm not the most non-descript person. I get noticed a lot."

"I get that." He smiled. "Now, you still haven't explained what that has to do with our – uh – marriage."

"Well, they're going to want to talk to me about it." I shrugged. "And people have always been _suspecting_ that I'm lying about my single status. It's not going to do any good _denying _it. I mean, think about it. How much backlash would I have if I denied it, and they found out about the annulment after that?"

"That's true."

"So, I know I'm being incredibly selfish, and I know this is asking for so much…" I began. "But would you mind pretending – well not really pretending since we actually _are_ –we're married? I mean, pretend that we didn't get married because of a few too many vodka martinis." I blushed pink. I sneaked a glance at him.

He was still. "…and?"

"Well, the sponsorship deal isn't completely worked out yet." I replied. "They're only going to be in New York for a month or two, and if I can just get them to sign the contract…then my show will be financially steady for the next few years, until we need another sponsorship."

He nodded ,understanding.

"So, basically, I'm just wondering if you'll be willing to…postpone that annulment for another month or so." I frowned. "I told Rosalie I wanted an annulment as soon as possible, but I decided my show needs a boost – and I can handle a few weeks of not being single." I smiled a little. "Would you mind?"

He mulled it over. He took a large gulp of his cocktail – causing him to wince a little from the sharp sour taste. "I suppose that's okay."

I nodded mutely, but I was bursting with relief and happiness. I was so sure that he would refuse.

"Thank you _so_ much!" I grinned, throwing my arms around me. He embraced me tentatively. I pulled away. "You have absolutely no idea how much this means to me, Edward. You just…you just saved my life."

He smiled somberly. "You're not going to burst into tears are you? I'm not very good with crying women."

I brushed my hand against my watering eyes. "I'm good, don't worry." I smiled. "Really, thank you so much!"

"Don't worry about it. What does this deal entitle again?"

I frowned. "Well, I have a few interviews and press conferences – and television appearances – I will have to do, and you're probably going to need to be there."

"What kind of television appearances?"

"Are you forgetting that I'm the host of a certain syndicated television show?"

"Well, that, of course. But are you going to make appearances on Jay Leno and Ellen DeGeneres and what not?"

"Of course, don't worry about it. It's not as scary as you might think."

He frowned. "I'll be the judge of that."

"I never knew that _you_ could be _scared_ of something I do all the time." I laughed. He seemed so macho.

"It could be worse." He smirked.

"Oh, do explain."

"You could have ended up married to a loser, instead of someone unattainable like me." He sipped his cocktail, winking suggestively.

I snorted a laugh, gulping down more of my drink. This situation could have been so much worse. If I could, I would have gone back in time and avoided this situation in the first place. But since I can't, I'm grateful that the person I wound up marrying was Edward, and not an insincere stranger. At least he had a sense of humor and a certain sincerity. And, it was great that he was both kind _and_ incredibly handsome.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"For a weak joke?"

"For not being a complete loser. I know a lot of people who would have treated our…unique situation a lot differently." I giggled a little.

He winked. "Hey, I'm your husband remember?"

* * *

**A**

"Open the door, Rosalie! It isn't good to cry alone!" I said loudly, knocking her door frantically. I had a feeling (an incredibly _strong_ pull) that Rosalie wasn't feeling very good. I could have easily been wrong, but that tug in my guts meant that I was right. I hoped I wasn't. Rosalie was always so strong. She never cried during break ups (or the normally tissue-filled-flegem-infested aftermath of the break up). "I brought ice cream! The good one! Not the crappy non-fat shit you can get at Ralphs!"

I heard some footsteps from the inside, and pressed my ear to the door. She was coming! She was finally being cooperative. One point for Alice! I heard her fumble with the lock on the door.

The door was flung open, and I closed my eyes while preparing my lips to form the thousands of comforting words I could ever think about it.

"You can't beat yourself up over a guy like—"

"Hey Alice!" her voice was oddly…cheery for the situation.

I looked at her. She was wearing short pajama shorts – similar to the volleyball shorts we had when we were in Caltech – and a white cotton shirt with a large yellow happy face, with the tongue out. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, random strands of her gorgeous blond hair falling freely, framing her face. She had a lollipop in her mouth, and she was wearing her glasses on the bridge of her nose. I could hear the song American Boy by Estelle playing loudly in the background.

It was like a freaking sleepover.

"Come in!" She pulled me in. I looked around. No wet tissues…no random strings of snot…no torn up sheets…

"Your flat seems…clean…" I said, lamely.

"Thanks, I guess." She laughed, sucking on her lollipop.

"You're welcome."

"So what are you up to, Alice? Why did you stop by?"

"Well…I figured because you left without us that you were in trouble…"

"How'd you get home, by the way?"

"Jasper gave me a lift."

"What about Bella?"

"She's still in Atlantic City. She had a couple things she had to sort out."

"Okay. Why do you think I'd be in trouble?"

"Well I figured you had gone to meet…him…and I thought you'd need some moral support."

She shrugged, throwing the lollipop away and grabbing a new one – a green one now. "Why would I be sad because of that?"

"I mean its Emmett –"

"Exactly." She pulled the lollipop out of her mouth. "It's Emmett. Maybe you forgot. I broke up with him five years ago. Half a decade ago. I was a stupid college student. I didn't know anything about love, Alice."

"But I just thought –"

"You thought wrong." She said simply, sucking the lollipop again. "Dance with me?"

I sighed. I was expecting a sobfest, with tons of tissues and chick flicks. I was expecting her to be crying – finally admitting she was still in love. I didn't get what I'd expected.

I spent the entire night with Rosalie, playing games and talking like we had when we were teenagers. We had Kanye West playing in the background, with a few snippets of Mayday Parade and Metro Station. I can't tell you how long we spent _shaking it_ to _Shake It_.

We had a complete girl's night – full of things teenaged girls did. Not twenty-four year olds.

I just hope I'll see the day that Rosalie admits what she's actually feeling, instead of hiding behind her thousands of relationships and photo shoots.

"I'LL TAKE YOU HOME IF YOU DON'T LEAVE ME AT THE FRONT DOOR! LEAVE ME AT THE FRONT DOOR!" She screamed, dancing on the table. "YOUR BODY'S COLD BUT GIRL WE'RE GETTING SO WARM! AND I WAS THINKING OF WAYS TO GET INSIDE! TONIGHT WE'RE FALLING IN LOVE! LET ME GO NOW! THIS FEELINGS TEARING ME UP! HERE WE GO NOW!"

She jumped off the table and shimmied to the couch.

"NOW IF SHE DOES IT LIKE THIS, WILL YOU DO IT LIKE THAT? NOW IF SHE TOUCHES LIKE THIS, WILL YOU TOUCH HER RIGHT BACK? NOW IF SHE MOVES LIKE THIS, WILL YOU MOVE HER LIKE THAT? COME ON!!"

She screamed louder, break dancing on the carpet. She gestured for me to join her. "SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, UH SHAKE IT!"

I groaned, throwing my head down on the pillow.

* * *

**A/N: Sorta short, but not really. My definition of short isn't actually **_**short**_**. Just a chapter to tie some loose ends. I hope you guys like this story so far! Please review. Thanks for all the favorites and reviews. It got into 6 communities! Thank you to whoever recommended my stories to the communities. I love you to death!**

**If you have any questions, just ask!**

**Lots of love!**

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages: 11**

**Number of Words: 4,321**

**Completed: Yes**

**Edited: No

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**

_Review Responses:_

_Oh my goodness, __**bellaroxursocx**__, thank you so much. You have no idea how much that means to me. _

_**Tania19**__, you're welcome for the chapter. Thank you for the review :P _

_I absolutely love this story too __**lil miss bella Cullen**__. I really ONLY just met you, but I really LOVE you too! Haha =)_

_**Confused55**__ I want to say that I appreciate how much you review my work. I'm ecstatic that you like my stories. And to answer your question, Rose talked to Bella about the annulment off-screen. I didn't think it was worth adding to the chapter – but if needed, I will add it in! I loved writing their talk, so I hope you love reading it. I think love can't be on the spot, but I hate the cliché of them 'hating' each other and then suddenly falling in love in a matter of seconds. I think it's better if they hit it off. Why would you try to get on the good side of someone you hate, you know?_

_Really? I didn't know that! Where does it say that? I re-read the chapter and I didn't notice it. Mind pointing it out so I can edit those stupid plot holes? Thank you for the heads up, __**lovedforeternity. **__I'm glad this is on your alert list!_

_**____ **__I wish I knew your name. But anonymity is cool too! I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the greeting and the congrats. How are you ?_

_I love Rosalie and Emmett is cool. I love the side story too. I'm sorry I suddenly changed the whole premise of the Rosalie-Emmett relationship, but it just popped in my mind after a crazy dream I had. __**Angel4057**__, I'm really glad that you like the story. I'm working on that 'good idea' about Bella & Edward. It'll be epic, I promise! I can't wait to write it, and I hope you like it too!_

_**Calico Rayne**__, first of all, I am completely in love with your name. Really. If you see any other account on the internet with that username, just know that its ME stealing your username! Go AWAY AlternativePunk, I'm Calico Rayne now! How kick ass is that? I'm glad you love the story, and I'm glad you think I write well. My English teacher seems to disagree…_

_**Medea Ariadne DeMarchi**__How in the world did all of you come up with the most fantastic usernames? I'm glad you liked the story. Here's the update!_


	5. Limits

**A/N: This is beginning to be my favorite story. I tend to write high school fics, and I'm so happy that I actually took the risk of writing a story that did not have to do with high school. **

**If you have read my other stories (Mainly S&CC and G&G) please take part in the poll on my profile. I'm iffy about those stories…and I have a feeling I will never be put back in the mood of actually **_**wanting **_**to update it. I have officially given up on S&CC and I'm starting to…not like G&G at all. **

**Please PM me or participate in the poll to give me your advice. **

**Summary: Isabella Swan is the one person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

**I'm very happy that you guys like it. Thank you to whoever recommended this to the communities it has been accepted into.**

**I'll update – generally – ever four or five days. So check back!**

**Again, Review Responses are found at the bottom. I love writing Review Responses – I like talking to the people who take the time to review my stories. So if you want a shout-out, REVIEW (yes, that is a ploy to get you to review. Did it work?). **

**And my RR's are fairly long and extensive. I love getting to know my reviewers. Take CONFUSED55 for example. She's one of my incredibly faithful reviewers and I love her to death for it. **

**And CALICO RAYNE. Does she, or does she not, have the best username? And the best middle name. For gosh sake – leave some good names for other people woman!**

**OH! And also! If someone can explain to me what this whole Beta-system thing is, I'd really appreciate it. I'm in dire need of a Beta – note all the stupid mistakes in my stories – but I don't really understand the system. Thanks!

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**B**

A wise girl knows her limits. A great girl knows she has none. Ask your parents, call them once in a while, and they'll undoubtedly lecture you about the 'right' things to do in life and the 'wrong' things to do in life. But really…who came up with what's right and wrong? How did people suddenly know that it was wrong to leave your things behind and right to put lost things in the lost and found? Did a man with no life just randomly sit down one day and think, "What am I doing wrong?" and decided to write a mile-long list about what would be right and what would be wrong?

And if that had really happened, why did everyone believe him? Wouldn't it be possible for him to be out of his mind? Maybe he was intoxicated by a few too many vodka shots. Maybe he was high on air. Who knows? Why do people insist on believing what is right and wrong?

Personally, I believe there _is_ no concrete right or wrong. I think every decision you make is your own, and no one can judge you for it. I think rights and wrongs depend entirely to the person committing it. Maybe something I truly believe is _right_ is something that someone else would consider terribly wrong.

Who knows? With a world filled with seven billion people…how is it possible for all of us to agree on what we _should _do and what we _shouldn't_ do?

I make a living by telling people what to do. I tell them when's the right moment to say "I love you" and when it's time to get the hell out before you make a fatal mistake, that could lead to a nasty break up and a horrible aftermath.

But that doesn't mean that they'll listen to me. When people go to me for advice, it's their decision if they want to listen to me or not. Maybe they will, and maybe it won't work.

When you get down to it, no one can tell anyone what to do. In the end, it's all about what you think, and not what everyone else thinks.

I was thrown into a situation where everyone could judge me – not just my friends and my family, but everyone who owned a magazine subscription. Anyone who had a television. They can say anything they want about me, but I am what I am…and that's something no one can ever be.

* * *

**E**

There was a possibility that I was going insane – which would throw my years of med school and schooling right down the drain. I spent god knows how long climbing up the hospital ladder. I was only twenty-four years old and I was thrown in a situation that could undoubtedly ruin my years of medical training and my image as the head surgeon.

Me. Edward Masen. The man who _never_ got close to being arrested – the one guy parents would want their daughters to date. I wasn't the guy who slept with a girl he just met, and wound up marrying her. _Especially_ if that girl was someone like _Bella_.

I'll never say this to her – or anyone else for that matter – but if I had met her on any other night, in any other situation, I would have asked her out (if I could muster enough confidence to do that, that is). That may not seem like such a big deal – but to me, it is. Ever since my relationship with Tanya ended, I've had second thoughts on whether I would settle down at all.

It had been difficult working out my problems with Tanya during our year relationship. I was completely focused on work and she was trying to get her life on track. We met and bonded because we had our own demons to settle, and we hit it off because we knew we could help each other.

Once those demons were defeated and laid to rest, we realized we really didn't have much in common at all. I wish I'd known of Bella's TV show back then – god knows her advice could have lifted our relationship off the ground – but I didn't, and I said and did all the wrong things at all the wrong times.

Simply put, our relationship ended fairly bitterly. I was in love and in over my head. Having the love of your life end the relationship is like having something ripped from your soul. All that you worked for in the past year, the one thing I looked forward to going home to, had turned into just mindless distant memories. No more were the days that I would go home to a pretty and happy dancing Tanya, singing to Taking Back Sunday while baking cookies.

No.

Instead, I came home to an empty apartment that smelled of beer and burnt toast.

It's been a year since she moved out. We ended things on a sour note. But a few weeks later, Jasper shoved us back together, and told us to stop being children and work out our problems. If those problems are settled, he said, and you two still can't be together, then you two should get over yourselves and consider being just friends.

So we did. Tanya was a little hesitant at first, but we gradually sunk back into our friendship. It was awkward at first – accidental touches would lead to wild blushes and words could lead to inexplicable arguments. Until Jasper swooped in again and told us the way it was going to be, and that we couldn't do anything about it.

So after a long hour of just talking, Tanya and I worked out our situation, and we now share a sweet brotherly and sisterly relationship. I thank my lucky stars every day of my life for letting my first love be Tanya, and not an insensitive girl who would go to all her friends and tell them I was a complete jerk.

You will never imagine how many times I've gotten calls from my previous fling's friends asking me, "It's because you're gay isn't it?"

But Tanya wasn't even remotely related to my problems anymore.

No. They were all about Bella.

Apparently, my doubts and decisions on whether I would ever settle down didn't matter. Instead, my decision was made for me – by vodka shots and Jasper of all things.

Why is it that Jasper is always the one involved in all my problems? And why was it that he was always the one _fixing_ the problems? I was incredibly lucky to have a friend like him.

And I was also incredibly lucky to have the girl I drunkenly married be Bella. I know many people who would have taken our situation a lot harder than she did – although I will admit that none of them would have left me naked in the hallway.

Bella is easy to talk to, I'll give her that. But I still wasn't sure whether postponing the annulment would be the greatest idea. I personally thought the faster we got our problems solved, and the faster we went our separate ways, the easier the aftermath of this event would be to overcome. I respected her devotion to her show – but that wasn't enough to silence my doubts on her decision.

But I couldn't say that I would be affected more than she was – sure I was probably more successful than most of my friends by the world's standards, but Bella's career was right in the middle of the spot light. Any backlash this situation had on me, would be magnified ten fold for her.

A light knock on my door jolted me out of my thoughts. "It's open!" I called hoarsely.

Bella's head popped from behind the door. "Hey, Edward. Mind if I come in?"

"Yeah of course." I nodded, gesturing for her to make herself comfortable. She pulled her luggage inside the room. She closed the door quietly behind her and a smile graced her features as she sat down in the arm chair in the corner of the room. "So, what's up?"

A lazy smirk played on her lips. "Check out was half an hour ago. I've been waiting in the lobby since then, until I realized that Alice and Rosalie had already gone home, and I was really waiting for _no one_ to pick me up. And then I figured out that Rose had taken Alice's car and that Alice had gone home with _Jasper_, so I _really_ didn't have anyone to call or ask to give me a lift. And then I remembered that you weren't leaving until later today, so I figured I might just hang out in your room until then – as long as you let me of course, or else that would be breaking and entering which is illegal in most states—"

"Take a breath." I laughed. "Don't worry, Bella. You can stay here as long as you'd like. I'll probably stay in my room too – I don't have anything planned today. The convention ended this morning. So, unless you have something in mind, we'll be stuck hanging out in my room all day."

She shrugged. "Anything's fine. I just don't want to lug this stupid bag with me everywhere."

I smiled. "Just leave it here. We can go out and have lunch or something."

She checked the silver watch on her wrist. "It's four." She said pointedly.

"We'll have a late lunch then." A thought flashed in her eyes. She leaned back a little, contemplating something. "What?"

"That got me thinking. Breakfast is the meal we have in the morning, lunch is in the afternoon, and dinner is at night. Brunch is between breakfast and lunch…but what do we call the meal between lunch and dinner? Linner? Lupper? Dinch?"

I thought for a second. "Overeating?" I supplied.

She threw her head back and laughed. "I wasn't expecting that." She snorted a little and covered her mouth. "Sorry. I tend to snort at the wrong times." Her eyes twinkled.

"It's okay. You should hear my hiccups. They're even worse."

"I'll be waiting for that, Edward. I'm holding you to that."

I nodded. "You won't be disappointed."

"I don't plan on it." She winked.

I leaned back on my elbows. "So, what do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking we could go out and overeat until we throw up."

"That sounds fun." I said dryly.

"It really and truly isn't." She laughed. "But I am incredibly famished. I haven't eaten since morning."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I was up all night so I really _just_ woke up. I kept thinking about the story we could come up with for our sudden marriage." She sighed. "Jacob already called a bunch of people in the hotel that may have seen us – and could pick us out in a lineup – and has gotten tons of sworn statements from them that we did not get married here."

"Why would they do that?"

"They would be imbursed for it." She said simply. "What people would do for money!"

"Is all that money coming from your pocket?" I asked.

She sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. Which is exactly why I need this sponsorship – covering up this situation cost more than I predicted, which ended in a greater need for some financial help. Without this sponsorship the show will still be fine, but if something happens and ratings go down, my show will be dropped. A sponsorship and the endorsement offers add more stability to it."

I frowned. "How much is this costing you?"

She thought for a second. "Two and three quarters of a million dollars I think. That's about how much I get for every 10 episodes or half a season."

That was quite a lot of money. "Why isn't the show reimbursing you for it?"

"Because…I _am_ the show." She laughed a little. "I'd basically be reimbursing myself. But it's okay. Once this marriage hits the tabloids, the viewer count will sky rocket. I can smell it."

I shook my head. "Show business. I'll never understand it."

"It's really simple, actually. You just have to come up with ways to stay on top…not all of them legal."

I buried my head in my hands. "What did I marry into?"

She snorted a laugh again. "A whole mess of things."

"Hey, by the way." I pursed my lips.

"Yeah?"

"Can you give me Jacob's number? I'd like to talk to him."

"Why would you possibly want to talk to him?"

"He'll probably want to fill me in on what I should say if people were to come up to me and ask me about our relationship."

She contemplated it. She sighed and ruffled through her purse, before brandishing a bright red business card. "It's the color of our studio." She explained sheepishly, tossing it at me. I caught it and read the lines on the business card swiftly, before pocketing it.

"So, where are we eating?" She asked.

"Why don't we go downstairs and ask the concierge for any recommendations? They're usually right."

She mulled it over. "I guess that'd be okay. But please, no Japanese food. I've had that for three nights in a row!"

"That's racist." I pointed out.

"No, it's not! I just feel like eating something other than raw fish."

"Prejudice." I replied.

"Oh shut up and get my purse."

* * *

**J**

"Look, I'm not Alice or Bella so you probably don't feel comfortable spilling every thing on your mind to me." I frowned.

"So why are you here?" Rosalie asked, pushing her glasses higher.

She only wore her glasses when she was at home, which was exactly where we were. Three years ago, we had flipped for the apartment, and I had won the bigger apartment while she settled into this smaller yet equally expensive one. With the help of my friend Mike, she was able to decorate the apartment with deep, brown colors making it astonishingly homey.

"You know Alice and Bella love you, and would help you no matter what." I replied. "But I knew and loved you first because you're my sister, and you know I'll do anything for you."

Her lips were slightly parted, taken aback by my words. "O-okay?"

"So please, Rosie. If you need to talk to someone, just know that I'll always be there okay? Sure you can run to Bella or Tanya or Alice, but I know you more and longer than any of them have. I've known you since the day that you first opened your eyes. I was there when you set mom's eyebrows on fire. I held you when you cried after that stupid Friday five years ago, even though I never quite figured out why you were crying in the first place – until now." I smiled a little. "And I'll still be here if you ever need anything."

She sniffed a little. "God Jasper, now I know why you earn so much being a psychologist. You probably make your patients break down in your office."

"Not always." I smiled gently. "Just the terminal cases."

"I'm terminal?" She said, half joking.

"Not yet." I smirked. "But if you refuse to talk to any of us, you will be."

Her face blanked momentarily, before it was swamped by an emotion I'd never seen her have before. "I just need some time, Jasp." She grimaced. "I know I've had five years to talk about it, but I guess I figured I'd never have to worry about it again. I thought it was a part of my life I'd eventually forget. I didn't know that I'd end up having to spend so much time with him again."

"You know you don't _have_ to spend all this time with him, right?" I asked. "Alice would be more than happy to take your place and negotiate with him."

She shook her head firmly. "He's my problem – he always has been. It's about time that I resolve that problem, or else I'll never be able to get on with my life." Her lips twitched. "And I guess I want to do it alone."

"Like always." I commented.

"Just like always." She nodded.

"What has happened between you two since you left Atlantic City by the way?" I quirked an eyebrow.

She rubbed her slightly puffy eyes. "Not much. I went to meet him the minute I got back, and then we chatted on the phone, working out a system that could reduce the backlash on both of them," she replied. "I haven't really had a chance to just sit down with him and talk about it. I think we're both too preoccupied with Bella's situation to talk about anything else."

I shrugged. "It's always like that. I couldn't have said it better."

"Watch out, Jasp. I might just take your job." She winked.

"Nah, as much as I love you little sister, I would never let that happen."

She smiled. "I miss just talking to you like this. I wish you'd come over as my brother more, instead of only coming over as Alice's boyfriend."

"I'll come over as much as you'd like, Rosie." I promised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You make the best cupcakes." I reached for the colorful cupcakes on the tray on the table.

She swatted my hand away. "Those are muffins dumbass."

* * *

**B**

The concierge spent the entire time trying to look down my blouse. I consciously pulled my shirt up – it wasn't even _low_ – and nudged Edward. He had turned his head curiously to me and I made a few random gestures that seemed to get the idea across. He nodded, saying he understood, before glaring at the concierge who shrank an inch or two away.

My husband, ladies and gentlemen!

"When you're done staring down my _wife's_ blouse, can you please tell us a good non-Japanese restaurant near this hotel? Or actually _in_ this hotel?"

The concierge blushed fiercely from being caught. "Y-yes sir. Sure. Uhm…There's a really good restaurant called Chelsea Prime. It's located on the top floor of the Chelsea Hotel – about eight minutes from here – and has terrific food. It's a steakhouse and has a breathtaking view of the city."

"Steak?" I repeated. "As in cows?"

Edward glanced at me. "Are you a vegetarian?"

"No." I smiled. "I'm just a bit iffy about steak."

"Then we'll just have to change your mind, now don't we?" Edward chuckled. "Could you please give me the directions to the Chelsea Hotel?" He turned back to the concierge.

The concierge snapped his gaze away from my chest. "Of course, sir." He had a perverted glint in his eyes and I cringed behind Edward. He handed Edward a brochure. "Do you have a GPS sir?"

"As a matter of fact I do."

"Just plug this address in then." He scrawled something on a parchment. "And that should just take you there." His eyes darted back to my shirt. Okay. I'm throwing this shirt away when I get home. "The steak at Chelsea Prime is very…firm….and juicy…and—" Drool was beginning to form at the corners of his mouth, and I'm fairly certain that he _wasn't_ talking about the steak.

"Look, if you don't tear your eyes away from my wife's chest, you won't even _have_ eyes once I'm done with you." Edward replied simply.

The concierge flinched and handed the paper to Edward. I tried not to laugh – once again, my husband everybody!

"Let's go _dear_." He replied.

"Okay, _hon_." I snickered.

We walked to the entrance of the hotel – a broad, arched entryway with deep grooves. The floors were made of stained marble, the sun reflecting off the sleek surface in awkward angles. The breeze outside wasn't too strong – the perfect weather.

Edward fished in his pocket for his ticket, and handed it to the valet manager. "Right away sir." He said with a nod.

"You know, I've always hated valet." I commented suddenly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I don't come from a very rich family – barely upper middle class. My mother was an English teacher and my father was the chief of the police, who wrote on the side." I began, smiling at the memory of Renee schooling Charlie on how to write a good novel. "So we never had one of those flashy cars. We lived in Pasadena, California – a perfectly homey and suburban area. We were never the fancy type. But every once in a while, Renee – my mom – would force Charlie – my dad – and I to go to an expensive French restaurant, or drive up to Beverly Hills and eat at Koi or Nobu. We'd dress up – Renee would wear the dress she reserved for when the queen came over – though she never ended up visiting – and Charlie wore the outfit he only wore when he gave the occasional lecture. We'd give our shabby minivan to the valet and pretend we were rich enough to actually eat and live in an area like Beverly Hills." I smiled at the memory. "But when we left the restaurant, we'd stand in the line of the valet. We'd be surrounded by hotshots and rich trophy wives. They'd own beautiful Lamborghinis and Porsches and then the valet manager would pull up in our shabby silver minivan, and we'd get the weirdest looks."

"I can imagine you in that situation." He chuckled.

"Yeah. The valet would always look at us weirdly, like we didn't belong." I sighed. "So I decided to come back after my show hit it big – I drove up in my incredibly sleek and new car, and I knew they recognized me. The look on their faces was worth all the money I spent on the car."

"That's nice." He said dryly. "You should really start getting a life, Bella."

"I have a life!" I smiled. "It was a one time thing." I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, what car do you have?"

"I used to have a silver Volvo – kind of my trademark. But once I began to have a higher income, I decided to buy another car. And I've been driving it for a few years now, and it's terrific." He grinned. "Here it is."

The valet pulled up in a bright orange McLaren F1. "Holy –" I gasped, staring at the beauty of the car in front of me. "It's…it's _it_."

"It's it?"

"Yes! That's my dream car!" My knees felt weak. "My husband has my dream car!" I could barely breathe.

"See what you married into?" He laughed. "Come on, get in."

I circled the car once, like a predator, before launching myself into the passenger seat. It smelled like orange and mint, and I breathed in the heady scent. "Mm, my favorite."

"What did _I _marry into?" He said to himself. I swatted his shoulder.

"Want me to punch in the address in the GPS while you pull out of the hotel?"

"That'd be helpful, thanks."

"What's a wife for?" I grinned cheekily. He handed me the parchment. I punched in the address. The computerized voice told him to continue five hundred meters before turning left. I flipped the parchment, and laughed abruptly.

"What's so funny?" He signaled left.

"You know the perverted concierge?" he nodded. "He wrote something on the back of the paper."

"What did he write?" He laughed. "You should really throw out that shirt before I'm forced to beat everyone who looks at you."

I snickered. "I was planning on it. He wrote _Call me when you decide to break up with him. 555-0173_."

He barked a laugh. "What a douche." He replied. "Hitting on my wife while I'm standing right there."

"Is it weird that we can joke about this mess of a marriage? I'm sure if this had happened to anyone else, they probably wouldn't be going out to grab a bite of eat – I'm pretty sure they'd end up fighting over some superficial issue. I'm also pretty sure they wouldn't be able to be in the same room together."

"I think it's a good sign." He shrugged, pulling into the Chelsea hotel. "I mean, I'm glad that we can stand to be in the same room – and even joke about it. I think it's better that we get along for the next month or two – assuming the deal is on – instead of fighting. People wouldn't believe that we are happily married unless we can stand to be in the same room."

We got out of the car, and he flipped his keys to the valet, trading it for a ticket. Walking into the brightly lit lobby, we rode the elevator to the top floor. The doors opened to reveal a remarkably decorated restaurant.

"Hello, sir." The maître d – an attractive sandy-browned hair woman in her late thirties – greeted. "Table for two?"

"Yes, please." Edward replied, politely. "Preferably one with a good view?"

"We do have one table for two available outside. Would that be okay?" She asked, grabbing two menus.

"That's fine. The weather is perfect today." I chirped.

She gestured for us to follow her. We walked to the balcony with a private table. It had one rounded table with two chairs, a red candle at the center of the table with a single rose in an intricately designed vase. "Here we are. Please enjoy your meal." She smiled friendlily and walked back into the restaurant.

"Wow." I replied, entranced by the view. "This is amazing."

"It is." He smiled. "Do we have good taste or what?"

"The best," I laughed. "I'm starving. I'm having the prime rib, what about you?"

"Kobe beef." He replied. "It's terrific."

A waiter came in and asked if we were ready to order. "As a matter of fact, we are."

"What would you like?" He asked, placing a bread basket on the table.

"I would like to have the Kobe beef, medium well. And she would like to have the prime rib, well done." He ordered easily. "And two glasses of Methuselah champagne for the table."

"Perfect. I'll be back with your champagne in a minute."

I nodded and smiled. "Methuselah? That's incredibly expensive, Edward."

"I figure we should celebrate the fact that I was drunkenly married to a woman who has no intention of clawing my eyes out."

"Cheers!" I smiled.

"I'll be back in a minute." He said. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Too much information, Edward. Too much information…" I shuddered.

He laughed. "Hey, we're married. I'm entitled to say anything I want."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Just go and pee already."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll be back."

He turned and left, and I noted the number of women who eyed him as he walked by them. At my husband – sure, albeit my accidental husband. But still! I had a right to be a bit territorial. I could see the glares the women gave me once they spotted where he had come from.

My cell phone vibrated in my purse, and I rushed to answer it. It was blaring out my favorite song at the moment – Seventeen Forever by Metro Station. So completely unprofessional. I plucked it out of my purse and answered it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bella! Hey!" Jacob's voice came from the other line. "I just wanted to check in on you."

"Well that's what I love about you Jake." I smiled.

"But I also have some things I wanted to tell you."

"And what is that?"

"The financial issues about the imbursement for the people at the hotel has been done and dealt with."

"How much are we losing?" I sighed.

"Absolutely nothing."

"What?" I blinked. "I thought you said it would cost a two and a quarter million dollars. Did they suddenly decide they wanted something other than money?"

"No." He replied. I could hear a smile in his voice. "They're still getting their money."

"Then why aren't we losing any of ours? Did we get the sponsorship? That would be fabulous! I can get the annulment even sooner now."

"No, unfortunately, you'll still have to be married for a month or two. The sponsorship and endorsements have not been signed yet."

"Then explain it to me. Why aren't we losing any money?"

"Someone decided to pick up the bill."

"Who?" I asked. "I haven't told anyone about it that would be willing to pay that incredible bill."

"Well, I don't know how he knows you." He began. "But a man named Edward Masen called me about half an hour ago and offered to pay three million dollars to imburse those who made the sworn statements."

"Wait." I couldn't have heard that right. "Can you please repeat the man's name?"

"Edward Masen – no – Dr. Edward Masen."

I nearly toppled from my chair. "That's – that's my husband, Jacob."

"My, what did you marry into?" He laughed. "Well, tell him thanks. The show is going to be on more stable ground because of that large sum of money he donated."

"I'll be sure to do that." I mumbled. "I have to go, Jake. I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Wait, Bella!"

"What?"

"Now, I'm going to be speaking to you as your friend instead of your publicist." He replied, seriously. "I have a life-altering confession to tell you when you get back."

"What is it about?"

"That's a secret, Bella." He laughed. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you soon Jake." I heard a click on the other line and I placed my cell phone back in my bag.

I heard the balcony door open, and Edward walked to the table.

"I have a bone to pick with you." I told him.

"Why? What did I do?"

"I can't believe you offered Jacob three million dollars to reimburse my show!" I exclaimed.

He froze. "You heard about that, huh?" He took a bite out of a stick of bread.

"Yes I did! You didn't have to, you know that, Edward. You've done enough already."

"Bella, I know I didn't have to." He replied, nonchalantly. "I didn't do it because I thought I owed you. I'm just as involved as you are – I'm partly at fault here – so I wanted to be part of the aftermath. I am your husband and you are my wife, and I want to help you solve all the problems we may face."

I was touched. "That's sweet, Edward."

He smiled. "Don't worry about it."

I was so incredibly lucky. "Thank you so much Edward. Once again you saved my life!"

He bit into his bread. "That's what I'm here for, babe."

"Please don't start with the pet names."

"Okay, my little honey sunshine."

I rolled my eyes. "Go away, bunny."

* * *

**E**

"This is delicious." She said, taking a bite out of her prime rib.

"Only the best for the love of my life." I teased.

She rolled her eyes. "I'd come up with a snarky comeback, but, unfortunately, I'm too busy enjoying my steak."

"How's the champagne?"

"Great, but incredibly overpriced."

"Not too much. My treat." I smiled, taking a sip of the champagne.

She swallowed and gulped down some champagne. "Okay, we need to talk about our issues."

"What issues? I thought we settled all our issues."

"We pretty much have about a billion other issues we still have to settle." She replied. "But I think it'd be better if we took care of the issues one at a time. We already handled the financial problem today – thank you so much for that by the way – and I'd like to settle the other prominent issue."

The three million dollars was worth it if it helped her. "What is this other issue?"

"The explanation of our marriage." She replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, people won't believe that we just met and happily got married." She explained. "We have to make up a story."

"That's a good idea." I commented. "What should we say?"

"I'm not sure. We still have a long ride back to New York. We could discuss it during that ride."

"For now, let's just enjoy our overeating."

She clinked her glass with mine. "Cheers."

* * *

**A/N: I was planning on writing even more, but I suppose this is enough. We get a bit of background info on Edward, and we get some insight on the kind of person Edward actually is. And he's taking a liking to her no? Or perhaps he's just…extremely nice. **

**And can you guess Jacob's revelation? It won't affect the story much – I would never antagonize Tanya or Jacob – but I guess his revelation will make it a bit easier to write about him. **

**Review review review please. Please? With sugar on top?**

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages: 14**

**Number of Words: 6,308**

**Completed: Yes**

**Edited: No

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**

Review Responses:

**JennWen**: I love writing Bella's inner monologue. She's sarcastic and spontaneous – and I love writing her that way. There's always an indirect suggestion or an indirect life-advice segment during her monologue. Well, I was thinking about having that happen. But I wouldn't want to spoil that for you!

**Lil miss bella Cullen**: Same here! I go to the mall and hug random strangers, like I'm high on air or something. I get weird looks from people. Nah, I'm just kidding. Most girls like to blend in – but I prefer to make a scene. I actually do that whole wannabe concert thing at the mall. People actually recognize me now! This old man winked at me once – it was extremely creepy! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this chapter as well. I love ya too!

**Fictionalfreak830**: I'm glad you like this story – I love it too! I hope you like this chapter, Katharine!

**Race for the clock tower**: Your username is cool =P. I'm racing ya too the clock tower and WAZAM, I get hit by a bus. Bummer….And thanks! I love favorites!

**Confused55**: Hey buddy! I love reviews too. This story gets exceptionally less reviews than Goodnight & Goodbye (which has an equal amount of chapters) which is weird, because I actually like this story better than G&G. Sigh. I guess people aren't feeling this story. How would you like to be my advertising manager? We can make freakin' buttons and everything! YAY! I loved the dead dog part too – although I love dogs and I don't particularly want to think of them that way. Is it weird that I can come up with these metaphors and advice things when I have virtually no love life of my own? I come from a crazy strict family – no dating till I'm like 50 years old.

**Angel4057: **I didn't want to have that clichéd 'they hate each other and then suddenly fall in love because they're together all the time and they figure out they complete each other.' I think it's cooler if they actually get along in the beginning, and that friendship develops into love. I love Emmett and Rosalie's side story, although it wasn't included in this chapter. There will be more info on them in the next chapter – though it hasn't been planned out yet. Rosalie is my favorite female character, and I love that discreet vulnerability she has. I always feel horrible for people who have to hide behind a mask of emotions to make it through the day – and I wanted to include head-strong Rose like this.

: Oh thank you very much! I like this story too – it's the only one I have any inspiration or pull to update. I can't wait to find out too! While I'm writing it, I'm practically jumping for joy. I don't know how to outline or plan – so when a twist happens in a story, I'm reacting the same way you guys do – OMFG NO WAY SAY WHAT? – I hope you keep reading and reviewing! Love ya!

**Calico Rayne**: Really? I don't want to pry – but what's your middle name? If it's Calico or Rayne, then I am incredibly JEALOUS. My middle name is so normal – ANN. What kind of middle name is that! I'm glad you think I write well. I have a weird sense of humor. I blame the air around me. The oxygen in Indonesia is contaminated with laugh gas, really. I hate it when characters fluctuate from one chapter to another, so I'm glad that you think I'm consistent with my characters. Thanks so much for all your support and your reviews! Hope you like this chapter!


	6. Three Cheers for Five Years

**A/N: Thank you so much for all your support guys! I truly want to thank whoever recommended this story to the communities it has been accepted to. It's a dream come true for me! Thank you so much! **

**Summary: Isabella Swan is the one person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen. Please read and review.**

**DC: I don't own Twilight. **

**I was planning on updating a week ago, but I've been having some 'personal' problems so I was to swamped to write. Then, I went on a weeklong field trip to Bandung last week (omfg, it was so much fun!) and I realized I was being a total biznitch for not updating for over two weeks.**

**So, I truly want to apologize for the incredibly long wait.**

**As always, Review Responses are at the bottom of the chapter. Please read and review!**

**(In Bella's inner monologue, there's a little activity that you can do, and she actually asks you to do so. I'd love it if you reviewed or PMed me with the results of the activity. It will help me to write oncoming monologues)**

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* * *

Urban Decay

* * *

Chapter 6: Three Cheers for Five Years

* * *

**B**

It takes no time to fall in love, but it takes years to know what love actually is.

I invite you to ask your friends, ask your family. In fact, take a break. Stop reading this for a second, and look around the room. Who is around you? If you're around a few people that you know, ask them what they think love is. If you're alone, ask _yourself_ what love is. What were the answers you received?

There are a countless number of answers. And they all go something like this:

Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it...It really is worth fighting for, risking everything for. And the thing is, if you don't risk everything, you risk even more. Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. It doesn't make the world go round; it's what makes the ride worthwhile

Almost every time I ask this question to the few people who say they know exactly what love is, they always answer with a long description of what you should feel when you are in love. One man once said to me, "You will be happy even at the darkest hour, and you will see light even in the deepest of caves." And I had scoffed. If that was true, why were some people scared of being in love? If love is really as lucrative as it seems to be, why isn't everyone in love?

The more I think about it, why wasn't _I_ in love? Why haven't I ever _been_ in love?

We all have an obsession with love, and yet, so many of us have never actually been in love. Why are we so interested in something we have never seen or experienced personally? Why are we so in tuned to that warped sense of romanticism and acceptance, that we cry ourselves senseless until we finally figure out what it means? People come to me when they begin to feel doubts in their relationship, or when they have a problem overcoming a certain obstacle. I make my living because of this twisted sense of perfection surrounding love.

The truth is, we're just a bunch of kids who want to know what love really is.

* * *

**R**

I tossed in my bed, the thin sheets sticking to my legs like a second skin. The air conditioner was on full swing, but a thick layer of sweat had drenched through my flimsy excuse of a night gown. My hair was tangled in my too-large pillowcase and it hurt to move even the slightest inch. I hated waking up like this – it was like a silent omen, foreshadowing a sadly anti-climatic event.

I was beginning to be the slob that I never wanted to be. People have always expected me to be one of those stereotypical models – all I cared about was the latest Prada bag, and the trendy hairstyle going around town. The truth was, I was just a girl that got lucky when she was born. If you saw me now, you'd laugh yourself silly, wondering how I'd ever been offered a modeling contract.

I pulled the sheets off my body and went to the bathroom. I threw some water on my face and brushed my teeth. My hair was oddly uncooperative, sticking to my neck and forehead. Strands were randomly clumping together, and the comb did more damage than it did help. Sometimes, I imagine what it would be like to be bald.

"You're pathetic." I scolded my reflection. I threw more water on my face, trying to clear any sense of doubt or resentment that hid beneath my skin. "One mistake. It was one mistake. You can't ruin your life like this." I chanted over, and over again.

I wiped my face with a cotton towel, keeping it wrapped around my neck. I dragged myself to the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine and grabbing a bagel from the packet on the counter. Mornings have always been a drag.

Chewing the stale bread bitterly, I poured myself a cup of coffee. I burnt my tongue trying to chug it down. "Stupid, stupid." I muttered to myself, wincing as my teeth grazed the sensitive burn on my tongue. "Stupider."

I grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down, soothing the burn with the refreshing wave. I caught my reflection on the fridge and frowned. What an awful way to start the day.

_And I swear that you don't have to go. I thought we could wait for the fireworks. I thought we could wait for the snow to wash over Georgia and kill the hurt…_

I blinked out of my haze, and my eyes darted around the room. I caught a glimpse of the vibrating cell phone, contrasting starkly with the dark fabric of the couch. Hobbling over to the couch, I flipped the phone open and answered it.

"Hello?" I breathed, sitting down harshly on the couch.

"Rose, hey!" A sweet voice came from the other end. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm on my way back home."

"Bella?" I asked, uncertainly.

"Of course." I could hear the smile in her voice. "I caught a ride with Edward. We had lunch at an exceptionally good restaurant today. I wish you were here."

"I do too." I answered honestly. "How's it going?"

"A little hectic." She admitted. "But I'm pushing through it. This could have been a lot worse – and a lot better, of course, had I decided to skip that round of chugging – but it's tolerable."

"How so?" I quirked an eyebrow. She sounded almost _happy_. An incredible change to how she had been like the last time I saw her.

"If I had been drunkenly married to anyone else, my stress levels would have sky rocketed over my head." She chuckled. "But Edward is a wonderful man, and he has been handling our…unique…situation much better than I thought – and his mood has affected mine."

I blinked. "It sounds like Edward is an amazing catch."

"Probably." She replied. "Anyway, enough about me. How are you?"

"But you're the one with the big problem." I protested. I'd much rather hear about her problems with Edward then gush about my nonexistent ones.

"Oh please." I could imagine her rolling her eyes. "In case you forgot, I make my living by seeking out love problems from people. I can smell your problem from Atlantic City."

I propped my face up with my elbow. "Please enlighten me."

"Well." She began, and I could sense the amused glint in her eyes. "You met Emmett a few days ago because of my situation – and the fact that his cousin is my impromptu husband…but that's beyond the point. When you met him – in the studio he dreamed about no doubt – that seemingly burned out fire in your heart rekindled, the spark being coaxed out of its hiding place – since it was never really gone in the first place. "

I bit my lip. No wonder her show was so popular.

"Then," she continued. "You left the studio with the same mindset and emotions as you left him five years ago. You were both still the same people and you both still felt the same way. But you acted as if you were just 'polite' strangers, having met only a few seconds before, with no history. When, in fact, you both still craved each other's company." She sighed. "And now, when Alice – and Jasper, no doubt – come to your house to make an attempt to get you to talk to them, you either ignore them completely, hint towards your 'issues', or, most likely, pretend nothing is wrong by acting bubbly and excited, as if you don't have a care in the world. Am I right?"

I winced. "Not entirely."

"I knew it." She said proudly. "I've told you this countless of times. Finding a Mr. Right Now will never substitute finding your Mr. Right – and luckily for you, you've already found yours, and almost half a decade ago. You just need to get him back – or, rather, bring yourself to accept that fact that you want him back."

"But I don't, Bella. That's what everyone assumes, but it isn't true!"

"…But it is." She replied. "And you know it."

I groaned. "I do not like you right now."

"I know, but I'll live with that, knowing that I'm doing my part in solving your problems. Just know that I'll be there for you when you finally decide to admit you need us to help you."

"Sure." I said, noncommittally.

"I have to go now." I could hear the sound of car doors slamming. "I'll see you in a few hours when I get home. Be prepared for a full out 'truth' session between the two of us."

"Bella! I told you, I don't need any help. It'd be easier if everyone just left me be, because there is absolutely _nothing wrong_!" I heard her laugh before hanging up. I threw my head back and settled in.

"Stupid, stupid." I muttered to myself, smoothing the surface of the pillows on the couch. "Stupid, masochist. Stupidly smart Bella…"

"Gah!" I threw my head back again, and sank into the sofa. I pulled myself up and walked back to the kitchen. Grabbing the near empty glass of water, I gulped down more of the water. "Mm…"

_And I swear that you don't have to go. I thought we could wait for the fireworks. I thought we could wait for the snow to wash over Georgia and kill the hurt._

"Dammit." I groaned, filling my glass. "Stop calling!"

_I thought I could live in your arms and spend every moment I had with you. Stay up all night with the stars, confess all the faith that I had in you._

I gulped down more of my drink, ignoring the ring – though it got louder and louder.

_Too late, I'm sure and lonely. Another night, another dream wasted on you._ _Just be here now against me, you know the words so sing along for me baby_

"Dammit." I moaned to myself. "I'm coming!" I called to no one. I walked towards the living room, abandoning my glass on the counter.

_For heaven's sake I know you're sorry, but you won't stop crying. This anniversary may never be the same. Inside I hope you know I'm dying, with my heart beside me in shattered pieces that may never be replaced, and if I died right now you'd never be the same_

I grabbed my cell phone and answered. "Stop calling me! I don't need your help, Bella. Go worry about your own problems and leave me alone!"

"Is that how we're greeting each other now?" his husky voice answered, amusement dancing between his words.

I froze. "Emmett?"

* * *

**Em**

I groaned as I tried to blink away the harsh light from the window. I forgot to close the drapes again. Sitting up, I groaned again. I was still wearing the suit from last night's impromptu board meeting. There were creases near the cuffs and the pants were incredibly stretched.

I got out of bed, and pulled the jacket off, abandoning it on the floor. Sighing, I tore my clothes off my body and threw on a clean pair of boxers and a plain white shirt. I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, frowning at my appearance. Thank goodness it was Saturday. It was practically the only day I had to myself – without any meetings or sudden appointments.

I threw water on my face, rubbing my calloused thumbs over my eyelids. I was so physically drained. Running my hand through my god-awful curly hair, I forced myself out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. I had a lot of weak whiskey – enough to wake me up but not enough to knock me out. I grabbed a cold can of it from the fridge, and popped it open. While I gulped it down, I reached to get some toast from the cupboard.

I walked to the living room, drinking and eating at the same time. I was pathetic. Groaning, I threw myself on my couch. Feeling around for the remote, I turned the TV on. The annoying voice of the co-host of E! Entertainment immediately echoed through the living room.

"Now it's time for Fashion Police! Robert Verdi is in the studio to help us separate the flashy from the trashy!"

"Thanks Juliana!" Robert's grinning face suddenly appeared on the left. "Every now and then we find a gem in the middle of dull beads. We're here to throw the beads away and shine the gems."

"Interesting metaphor!" Juliana laughed. "First off, Solange Knowles at Samantha Thayma's party."

"I don't know, Juliana. I think she's rocking the shaved head trend. I n fact the shaved head is hot, but the metallic Mickey Mouse-adorned handbag and bizarre Moschino heels are not."

"I agree." A blinking neon sign that proclaimed "Trashy!" filled the screen.

"Next up, Denise Richard. What's worse? Her crispy coif of her ridiculously fried skin? Trashy!" Robert proclaimed.

I fumbled with the remote to change the channel, but something caught my attention.

"I don't know, Rob, seems like celebrities these days are having complete fashion meltdowns." She sighed. "Here's our last one, Rosalie Hale!"

"Remember how I said we can find a gem in the middle of dull beads? Well, Rosalie's an example of this. She's naturally beautiful, and she can wear anything she wants, and she'll still look fabulous."

A picture of Rosalie, golden-skinned with flashing blue eyes flashed across the screen. I froze. The camera did a once over, staying a few too many seconds on her incredible legs. It ran up the dress that clung to her body like a second skin, before landing on her flawless face.

"Right behind Sienna Miller at the premiere of G.I Joe was Rosalie Hale, who popped a sassy pose in a fierce one-shouldered mid-thigh length Frank Kauffman cut off mermaid dress."

There was a final shot of her face before the camera flashed to Juliana's suddenly unattractive face.

"Rosalie." I muttered to myself, throwing myself back on the couch. It was ridiculous how much of an effect she still had on me. It had been five years. She hadn't aged at all. She was too beautiful…and it was ripping me apart. If only my stupid cousin hadn't drunkenly married her best friend – then maybe I could throw our relationship back to where it had been hiding.

_You are young and so am I and this feels wrong but who am I to judge? You feel like heaven when we touch I guess for me this is enough. _

I cocked my head to the side as my phone rang. It gradually got louder, and I followed the song.

_We're one mistake from being together but let's not ask why it's not right. You won't be seventeen forever, and we can get away with this tonight _

I found it vibrating on the end table at the corner of the room. I grabbed the cell phone and checked the number. It was a number that wasn't on my contacts list, and I couldn't recognize it. It was flashing, but I hesitated before answering it. At first, I thought it was a random stranger – or worse, a telemarketer – but then I realized it was probably a board member from some company that may want to endorse our show.

I shrugged, and answered. "Hello?"

"I need to talk to you." Said a familiar voice. I recognized the voice, but I couldn't quite pinpoint where I'd known it from.

"Who is this?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. I drank some more whiskey.

"I'm sure you probably don't remember me." He said, sighing. "But I'll probably end up being related to you one way or another, and I know you know it too, so I'm not about to let you break my sister's heart – or let it be as cracked as yours is."

"Who is this?" I repeated.

"My sister used to be a bubbly, happy woman – although she isn't nearly as genuinely happy as she was five years ago."

I froze. "Five years ago?" I echoed.

"I guess I spoiled it, didn't I?" He sighed. "Sorry. I'll start over. This is Emmett Masen yes?"

"Yes, this is he."

"My name is Jasper Hale. I believe we met five years ago?"

Jasper Hale…Jasper Hale.

"Is this Rosalie's brother?" I said, flatly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am." He replied. "We met on the first Christmas you had while you were dating my sister. You ate dinner with our family."

"I remember that." I replied. "So, why are you calling?"

"I just want you to know some things." He said, seriously. "You and Rosalie think you're over each other. Despite what I may think, you both may actually have gotten over each other over the past five years. But whether you like it or not, because of this situation Edward and Bella foolishly threw themselves in, you will both probably be forced to be around each other a lot more than you'd like."

I nodded. "Just so you know, Rosalie and I are both in a place in our lives where we can stand to be in a room together and not feel any resentment. We went out five years ago, and have been apart for that same amount of time. I think it is incredibly ridiculous for you to even consider calling me and asking me if I can handle being around your sister."

"I just wanted to warn you of something you probably know. My sister is an incredibly beautiful woman and you were lucky to date her – I don't want to know why you broke up with her – so don't make another mistake to make her hate you more than she already does. She's not in the same place that you are. Just be sure to remember that."

"I will. Is that all?"

"Yes."

I pursed my lips. "Goodbye then." I hung up. There was fifteen minutes I would never get back. The nerve of him! Expecting that I would fall in love with Rosalie again, as if I'm some type of prude. I wouldn't fall in love again – I broke up with her for a reason, and it wasn't like she changed. She was still as headstrong as she always was – wanting things the way she wanted them, and I couldn't handle it. I still can't.

I was a stupid kid back then, but not anymore. I'd had a countless number of relationships since then, and I've been content with my life. I didn't need her.

I would never need her. Not like I used to.

Once this situation blows over, I'll never need to talk or interact with her – and that is exactly how I'd like it. Despite what all my friends seem to think, I am not and will never fall back into love with Rosalie Hale.

I fingered my cell phone. The sooner Edward fixed his problem, the better off I'd be. I dialed Rosalie's number with the intention to tell her I did not want to be involved in this anymore than she did, and I was withdrawing myself from the solution. Who cares if Bella's show went under? The better for me! There was no reason for me jeopardize my career by helping my competition, just because my cousin is involved and I'm acquaintances with the other party. They didn't need me in their lives, just as much as I didn't need them.

The phone rang for a while. I walked to the couch and sat down, smoothing my shirt with my freehand. She was taking a while. What could she possibly need to do at ten in the morning? I sighed, and was about to hang up when I heard her exasperated voice from the other line.

"Stop calling me! I don't need your help, Bella. Go worry about your own problems and leave me alone!" She yelled into the phone.

I chuckled despite myself. "Is that how we're greeting each other now?" I quirked an eyebrow.

She inhaled sharply. "Emmett?"

"Yes." I snickered.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was instantly serious. "I thought you were someone else."

"Bella, I'm guessing."

She turned defiant. "As a matter of fact, yes. Do you have problem with that?" I could see that spark of fire in her blue eyes.

"No. Breathe, Rosalie."

She exhaled. "What do you want, Emmett?"

"Well—" What did I want to say to her again? The second I heard her answer the phone, I forgot what I wanted to say. "I need to talk to you about Bella and Edward's situation."

"From what I've heard from Bella, they barely have a situation. They're incredibly civil to each other."

"And why would that matter?"

"They aren't clawing each other to death – that's a step up to what I thought they'd be doing."

"Are you disappointed?"

"A bit." She admitted. "But that's beyond the point. What are you worried about if they are civil?"

"A lot of things. How can we lie to the press and say they got a divorce because they had 'irreconcilable differences' if they're getting along?"

She paused. "They'll fake it. Bella's a good actress, and she gets annoyed easily. Perhaps this is just a phase."

"We still have mounds of things to discuss. When can we meet to talk about the solution to this problem?"

"I'm free tomorrow afternoon." She said.

"Do you know the bistro across from the movie theater?"

"Yes." She said, noncommittally.

"How about we meet there to talk? And then we can get out of each other's hairs and we do not need to see each other often."

"That sounds like a good idea." She sighed. "I'll see you then. Goodbye, Emmett."

"Goodbye, Rosalie."

* * *

**B**

"Slow down, Edward. We just exited the freeway! You'll make us crash!" I screeched, my hands holding the chair in a death grip.

"Take a breath, Bella. It isn't like I don't know what I'm doing."

I rolled my eyes. "Just slow down a little bit will you?"

He sighed and the car slowed to a reasonable pace. "Now, was that so hard?" I laughed.

"So what if it was?" He shot back, signaling left.

"Anyway, we need to discuss our marriage." I said. "Let's come up with a story behind it."

"Okay." He agreed. "How did we meet?"

"Well, everyone knows you're Emmett's cousin and I'm Rosalie's best friend. Let's just say that we met five years ago because we hung out with somewhat similar circles. But we lost touch for a few years after college."

"And then, one day, someone you knew visited one of their relatives at the hospital, and you decided to tag along." He continued. "We bumped into each other when you left the room to get you and your friend some drinks from the vending machine."

"You were still one of the resident surgeons, and not the head." She laughed. "We're great story tellers."

"That we are." He smiled. "We went to lunch after that periodically to catch up, but we were both involved with someone."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

"Once my relationship with Tanya was over, you came to do your part in comforting me, because you've always been excellent at the love advice."

"After a few months, you finally got the nerve to ask me out for dinner as more than just a friend – we'd been dodging the thought of 'dating' because we were afraid it would wreck our friendship."

"Stereotypical." He commented.

"But plausible." I shot back. "Anyway. We dated for a few months before you proposed. The engagement was meant to be long but we cut it short."

"We wanted an extravagant wedding, but everything was so hectic – with my promotion and your show, and we went to Atlantic City to take a break from the planning and just enjoy each other's company."

"We drove around, and we found the chapel, and thought 'what the hell' and got married – because whether it be a big wedding or a small wedding that cost a cup of quarters, we were still proclaiming our love for each other."

"Perfect." He commented. "But why did you always deny you were dating anyone whenever you were on Ellen's show or the late show?"

"Well, I wanted to keep it a secret because I knew it would cause some harsh spotlights to our relationship – I'd seen it happen to a countless number of celebrities. I didn't want us to breakup, so people didn't find out until we actually got married. I took off my ring before every show, and kept it safely in my pocket."

"OCD." He replied.

"I had to be careful." I shrugged. "You think that story will work?"

"I hope so." He replied. "If it doesn't, we'll have to do a lot of damage control."

"If something comes up, we'll have to adjust our story."

"Of course."

I sighed and looked out the window. Maybe things would be okay after all.

* * *

**A/N: I had a million other things I wanted to put in this chapter…but it would be much too long, so I decided to save it for the next chapter. I hope you aren't too angry with this chapter. I know nothing happened – it's a lot like the second chapter that was more filler. But we get some insight on Rosalie and Emmett. Next chapter will focus more on Edward and Bella. I promise. And it will be incredibly sweet, as well. **

**Again, I apologize. The next update should be sometime in the next six days. I promise**

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages: 11**

**Number of Words: 5,334  
**

**Completed: Yes**

**Edited: No

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**

Review Responses

**Confused55**: I'm actually proud of it. I mean, everyone's always surprised when I answer 'No' to 'Have you ever had a boyfriend?' Who cares if you've been in a relationship or not? I'm still in ninth grade – it isn't like being in a relationship right now will help me at all. I have my best friends and close knit group of supporters, and that's all I need. I used to have 5 dogs, but my father doesn't like dogs very much, so he gave them away to his friend without my consent. It was horrible! I want to be a vegetarian as well! I would love to be a vegetarian. The problem is…I hate vegetables so it would make it a tad bit…difficult…to be a vegetarian. Haha! 53 reviews now. I'm hoping to beat 60 after this chapter. Keep our fingers crossed!

**Lovedforeternity: **I love how cute they are together as well. I'm so sorry there wasn't much interaction between the two of them this chapter. But I want to save all the unbearably cute things for the next chapter! You'll love it, I swear. I know! Who in their right mind would give 3 million bucks to an almost stranger?

**Aribx3: **Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I hope it's getting better and better, although I'm sure you'll be disappointed with this one. I'm so sorry! Schweet! We have the same middle name! Bluetooth high five!!! I know! I'm so jealous of her middle name. We should both go to city hall and like, change our middle name to like 'flagellum' or 'felula' or something. It'll be the bomb! Sure! I'll check out your story right after I finish writing these Review Responses!

**Medea Ariadne DeMarchi**: Hahahah really? I hadn't meant for it to be funny, but I'm glad it made you laugh! I'm thrilled that you liked the chapter! I'm ashamed that I took so long to update quick, but I hope you like this update.

**Race for the clock tower: **I'm glad you liked the chapter! He IS one hell of a surgeon. Maybe he has this crazy insane mindset that lets him like do telekenisis and other stuff like that. That would be the most epic thing in the world. Oh my goodness, it wasn't that big of a bus! I could pick it up with my fingers. Either it's miniature bus, or I'm freakishly tall.

**Angel4057: **Aw thanks. I want this story to be unique, and unlike the ones I have read, and it has been so far (hopefully). I'm hoping that that section of the story will come out good too!

**Warped Sense of Betrayal**: I'm glad you liked that chapter! I haven't talked to you in a while! I live by quote graphics and avatars that explain exactly what I'm going through. I get my inspiration through these quote graphics and through music. I'm not lying! I'm really 14! I was born on July 7, 1995 at 7:00AM! I'm not 23, I promise. And I haven't graduated from Harvard – I could never get into that school!

**Just a Sigh of Relief: **Hey! Long time no see! I'm glad you like the story!

**Calico Rayne**: Calico. Damn. You like, won the name lottery or something! I'm pretty sure I could sue you and steal your name if my nonexistent lawyers let me do that for no apparent reason…haha, I'm glad I could make you smile! Addictive reading? Really? Schweet! I've never had that said about my story before, so I'm glad you said it! Wahoo! High five! Naaah you'll hate Indonesia. Same old, same old. Hot and wet. No entertainment whatsoever. I'll holler if I need a beta! I holler really loud so I recommend some ear muffs!

**Twilight-saga-lover95: **Oh my goodness, thank you very much! Bella's inner monologues are incredibly fun to write! I love writing them because they can either be sarcastic or really deep. So far, most have been neutral. I'm updating!


	7. A Lie

**A/N: Hey people! I'm sorry that this update took so long, but I'm currently vacationing in Philippines. I love it here. I lived here for three years before I moved to Indonesia. I love being with my family. How are you guys doing? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**Summary:**** Isabella Swan is the one person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen.**

**As always, Review Responses are at the bottom of the chapter. Please read and review!**

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**

Urban Decay

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Chapter 7: A Bed of White Roses

* * *

**B**

For years, I have strived to keep my show on top. I've taken a number of steps (and drawbacks!) that made my show the way it is now. Sometimes, the business is kind to me, and I only have to tweak a couple issues and touch a couple nerves. Other times, all the problems and all the issues are thrown into my somewhat experienced hands – and none of my staff or friends can do a thing.

I have a taken a number of drastic measures to pull my show from the hard place it was at. I chopped off all of my hair for a year because it was a new trend. I cut off some of my friendships – I'm sorry Katie! – for the show. I flew to Brazil to convince a sponsor to add more money to his funding.

I've said before I try to live in spontaneity – I try not to plan anything, and hope the outcome ends up in my favor. But it is hard to be spontaneous when you are involved in the entertainment business. Nothing is ever for certain and if you fail to do something as insignificant as show up for a coffee date, you just might have ended your career. The entertainment business is always changing. Sometimes, it throws you curveballs, and all you can do is duck.

As a result, my vision of being spontaneous disintegrated. I was forced to begin meticulously planning my every move. I was forced to use less than carefree and kind methods to keep the ratings of my show on top. I know there are a number of people I used to hold dear to my heart who refuse to keep in contact with me.

And I have to live with that…and I have.

When I mistakenly got married with Edward, I thought I sacrificed all I had for no reason. I had cut people out of my life, threw myself into situations head first for absolutely no reason. All I had done – all I had worked so hard to do – was shattered in one stupid act I had done when I was drunk. I believed I had ruined my career because one mistake.

I was wrong.

If anything, marrying Edward may have been the change I needed. After spending only a few days with him, I became the person I have always wanted to be. Plans meant nothing to me – for this single spontaneous event pushed me to commit myself into an entirely spontaneous life.

Edward helped me to understand that no matter what business I was in, I was who I was, and I couldn't change it. And I loved living my life like that. He would show up on my doorstep, with a plan to keep our marriage more realistic. He would come up with stories and ideas that would strengthen the validity of our marriage.

As he continued to be a big a part of my life, I realized that he was just what I needed to get out of my increasingly meticulous spell. He made me believe that I could be whoever I wanted to be, and still have a successful show.

I was able to go back to being carefree instead of uptight. I used to suffer from my tumulus moods – I could be happy and perfectly fine with not knowing what happened next, and a second later I would be in the middle of a meltdown, wondering why I'd made such a stupid mistake. Sometimes, I would hide and run from all my troubles, and other times I would put myself into the solution without throwing caution to the wind. But these moods no longer affected me, and I have Edward to thank for that. He helped me grasp all I needed to know. But most of all, I finally understood the truth of my almost bipolar nature. I finally understood the truth of any one who suffered from the same ordeal as I did.

The truth is, we hide because we want to be found, we walk away to see who will follow us…and we let our hearts get broken to see who cares enough to try and fix them.

* * *

**B**

I sipped the Styrofoam cup in my hand, filled to the brim with dark black coffee. Glancing around the café, I noted the number of glances being thrown my way. I smiled graciously and nodded towards a few people. There were a group of girls at the corner of the café, giggling and pointing at me. I smirked at them, and they squealed.

I rolled my eyes. "Typical female reaction." I took another sip of the coffee, peering around the café, scouting out the talent. The bulk of the advice I gave on the show came from the observations I made during normal day situations.

I noticed a couple sitting on the left side. She had waist length sandy brown hair and large, doe green eyes. He had dark red hair, more brown then red, but stunning all the same. They were both in their mid twenties, starry-eyed and fresh to the adult world. They stared at each other adoringly, not even touching the cups of coffee in their hands. Their eyes never wavered, and they were smiling without knowing it. It was the picture of love and affection.

"I give them two weeks." I muttered, eyeing them warily.

A relationship filled with only love and devotion wouldn't last. As much as we try to delude ourselves into believing that the best relationship is filled with trust, love, and understanding, I know that it is not true.

I studied the couple on the opposite side. They were glaring acutely at each other, and I knew the woman was cursing his name as she sipped the coffee. He was tapping his foot impatiently. They shared heated words and he began to glare. Their voices were getting louder, and people were beginning to stare.

I sipped my coffee and smiled knowingly. "They're going to last."

Love isn't just about comfort and love. It's more than that. How can a perfect relationship last without any fights? That wouldn't be a relationship at all. Love is about laughing and fighting, and kissing in the rain. It's about screaming his name at night because of all he has done. It's about going insane from just how much you love him. It's about –

_Here's a song or the nights I think too much and here's a song when I imagine us together. Here's a song for when we talk too much and I forget my words. _

I fished in my purse for my vibrating cell phone. More eyes were turned in my direction, followed by a massive number of whispers and giggles. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, and, instead, focused my attention in finding my cell phone.

_Heaven can wait up high in the sky, it's you and I. Heaven can wait deep down in your eyes, I'm yours tonight. Lay your heart next to mine, I feel so alive. _

Stupid, small bag filled with everything except hammers and nails.

_Tel me you want to stay, forever. 'Cause heaven can wait._

I grasped my cell in my fingers and pulled it out of my bag, unwinding the cable of my earphones from tangling with my cell. I pressed call.

"Hello?" I said, breathlessly.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." He replied. "I know I'm about ten minutes late for our meeting."

"Don't worry about it." I replied. "I've been working."

"You're going to have to learn when to stop working and start living."

"I do know how! I am living. Just not so grandly."

He laughed. "Anything you say, Bella. I'm at the door. Wave so I can find you. It's pretty busy in here."

I turned and glanced at the door. His sleek black hair was cut short. His eyes were twinkling with amusement, as he scanned the crowd. He was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and simple jeans. He checked his Rolex watch. I rolled my eyes.

Lifting my arm, I waved him over. He caught my gaze and sauntered towards me. I rolled my eyes again.

"Showing off your walk?" I asked.

"Always." Jacob grinned. "It's good to see you, Bella."

"Jake, I saw you a week ago. It wasn't like I moved to Spain."

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "You've done a million things in the past two days that could have been spread out in a lifetime."

I laughed. "I know." I shrugged. "How are you?"

"I think I should be asking you that." He smiled. "I'll be right back." He walked to the counter and ordered his drink, before gesturing to our table.

He returned. "Now, Bella. Remember that revelation I wanted to tell you about?"

"Yes." I had actually been anticipating it. "I'm assuming it has to do with your personal life?"

"You could say that." He bit his lip.

"Did you get a boyfriend?"

He coughed. "Er – something among that level."

"Who is he?" He winced, suddenly embarrassed. I quirked an eyebrow. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I'm just afraid you might freak out."

"Why would I be – wait! You're not dating my husband or Jasper are you? Please don't tell me you're marrying my dad. I mean, I'd love to be related to you but not like _that_."

He stopped me. "Don't' worry about it, you don't know the person I'm involved with."

"So, tell me." I commanded.

"Her name is Leah." He said quietly.

I blinked. I opened my mouth, and closed it again. I said, awkwardly, "Her?"

He nodded. "I'm not gay."

I looked at him, oddly. "What?"

"I've known for a while now." He admitted.

"How long is…a while?" I asked.

"A half a decade."

"That's longer than I've known you!" I gasped suddenly. "I let you stay in the room while I changed!"

He bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Oh, right. I was going to tell you then – but I figured I might as well enjoy it while it lasted."

"I'm going to pretend that you did not just say that." I waved him off. "Who is she?"

"I met her a month ago at one of the interest meetings. We clicked immediately."

"Right." I smiled. Jacob finally settled down! "As much as I would love to talk about your sexual preference, this was originally a business meeting, so I'm assuming you have something you would like to discuss with me?" I inquired.

"Oh, yes." He laughed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. So, because you have been MIA for two weeks – you took a break from attending all the events you had invitations to remember? – I am forcing you as your publicist and as your friend to attend all the events you have been invited to."

"I see." I sipped my coffee. "What are these 'events'?"

"There's a charity event, a red carpet event, you're going to be a presenter for the Golden Globes… hm. What else? There's the gala and the fundraiser…and the Day Time Emmy Awards – which we are going to win, by the way." He commented.

I laughed. "I hope so."

"I think there were more, but I'll fill you in on those later. That isn't too much is it?"

"The more events, the better." I sighed. "Good publicity."

"You'll need to bring Edward."

"Why?"

"Because he is your husband, obviously." He rolled his eyes. "Just have him dress nicely, and let him enjoy himself. Make sure you act like you're in love. I'm assuming you have come up with a story for your marriage?"

"Of course."

"That makes it a lot easier." He replied. "Your first appearance will be the Red Carpet event. It's the opening of your new perfume and clothing line. Please tell Edward."

"I'll tell him how to act." I winked.

He laughed. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

**E**

I shuffled around the room, searching for the stack of paper I'd left on my desk before my trip to Atlantic City. The documents had my patient's contact information, and if I didn't find them, I would lose my position as head surgeon because of my 'inability to complete the entirety of the patient-doctor confidentiality form. Stupid board of directors.

I found the documents on the kitchen counter next to the sink. Imagine if they got wet! I placed safely on the coffee table in the living room.

I jerked my head to side when I heard a soft knock on the door. I wasn't expecting anyone – and no one had buzzed the apartment – so I didn't know who was there. I abandoned the stack of papers and walked cautiously towards the door.

I peered into the peephole, and caught sight of the top of someone's head. She was looking down, and all I could see was a tirade of chocolate hair. She tilted her head upwards impatiently, and looked me in the eye. I ducked, before realizing that she wouldn't be able to see me.

"Edward, open the door!" Bella's voice came from the other end.

I smiled and pulled the door open. Bella stood leaning against the doorframe, her eyes twinkling with amusement. A lazy smirk graced her features. "Hey."

"Come in." I gestured towards my apartment. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming, so it's a bit…messy."

"Don't worry about it." She replied, pulling her coat off. "I'm sorry to barge in like this – if you're busy, I can come back later."

"No, no!" I protested immediately. "I wasn't doing anything important. Make yourself at home. Would you like something?"

"Something to drink, please." She said breezily, plopping herself down on the armchair.

"Sure thing." I walked back to the kitchen and grabbed two wine glasses. I opened the fridge and took out my half empty bottle of wine, and brought it to the living room.

"Every time I go somewhere with you, we always end up drinking some type of drink with alcohol." She laughed, pouring both of us a glass.

"You're right." I snickered. "So, what do you need?"

"Why do you assume that I came here only because I _needed_ something?" She asked. "Couldn't I have come here just to see you?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Did you?"

"No, but –"

"Just tell me what you need, Bella." I interrupted.

"Fine!" She sipped her wine. "I just needed to inform you about some things you need to put on your calendar."

"Okay." I said, cautiously.

"Well, first of all, there is a red carpet event for promoting my perfume and clothing line – that Alice is helping me develop by the way – and you need to be my date."

"And why do I need to be your date?"

She looked at me like I asked her what color shirt she was wearing. "Because you're my husband." She explained, simply.

"Oh, right." I replied, dumbly. Real smooth, Edward. "When is this?"

"In three days." She replied, nonchalantly.

"Three days?" I choked on my wine.

"No, wait." She thought for a second. "What day is it today?"

"Tuesday." I said, automatically.

"Oh." She sighed. "I was wrong. It's in two days."

"Two days?" I echoed.

"Don't worry; it won't take too much time to pick what you're wearing. Just give Alice a call and she'll set you up with a suit. That's what I'm doing." She waved me off.

"Er, Bella, I've never really been to a red carpet event before. I'm not sure how it works."

"Basically," She replied, "Smile a lot, look fabulous, and answer their questions. Any publicity is good publicity."

"Have people already found out about our marriage?" I asked.

"Of course." Bella sighed, taking a long sip out of her glass. "Jacob has been receiving calls every second of the day from people who would like to talk to us."

"Since when?"

"Last night." She said. "It's been all over the news. Haven't you been watching?"

"I've been a bit preoccupied." I said, lamely.

"I don't think I want to know." She laughed. "Anyway, in two days. Make sure you don't do a fashion faux pas. Give Alice a call – I gave you her number already – and she'll find you something. Be at my place by six-forty five at night. The event starts at eight, but the picture taking begins at seven."

"I'll be there."

She raised her glass. "To living a lie!" She cheered.

I grinned despite myself. "Huzzah!"

* * *

**B**

It was six-fifty. I had my makeup done for an hour. I had a thin layer of concealer and powder. My eyelids were dashed with dark, smudged eye shadow. For the most part, I used very little makeup. My hair was being uncooperative – of all days! – but my hairstylist is a genius. She curled my hair, and pulled it up in an intricately designed mix of a bun and a French pony tail.

Alice had dropped off my dress in the morning – one of her original creations. It was a mermaid dress with an A-line skirt. I slipped into my dress, frowning at myself in the mirror. There was almost no back – just a flimsy shred of fabric – and the front of my dress had a plunging neckline. It was designed in a way that made it the opposite of trashy, but I did not have the body for it.

I touched my hair, awkwardly. I despised dressing up. There was a loud knock on my door, and I grinned despite myself. Edward was here.

I shuffled towards the door – damn high heels – and opened the door. He stood in one of Alice's suits, beautifully tailored with classic colors and black tie.

"Nice." I commented, plucking my purse from the table. "Are you ready to go?"

"Of course." He replied. "Suits are uncomfortable."

"Tell me about it." I laughed. We rode the elevator down towards the lobby. The limo was parked in the back of building – I wouldn't want to be swamped by a thousand people on the streets. We walked to the limo, exchanging simple words of how unexcited we were to go to this event.

The driver opened the door, and I muttered something under my breath.

"Pardon?" Edward asked.

"My dress is so uncomfortable." I complained, struggling to get into the limo.

He placed a hand on the door. I looked at him quizzically, and noticed his eyes were drinking in my appearance, as if he just noticed what I was wearing. I heard a soft intake of breath, as he pursed his lips.

"What?" I asked, self consciously. I tried to pull my dress up. I touched my hair instinctively. "Edward, would you please stop looking at me like that? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, quickly, a faint blush appearing on his cheek. "You look breathtakingly gorgeous tonight." He said, honesty and awe coating his words.

I blushed heavily. "Thank you." I replied, awkwardly. "I hate to pull you out of your reverie, but we have an event we have to go to?"

He blinked quickly. "Sorry – er. I'll – uh – you first." He finished lamely.

I smiled. He looked like an embarrassed little boy going to his first dance. "Don't be nervous – it's just like a party. Just smile and answer their questions – and trust me, there will be a lot!"

I climbed into the limo, making sure to keep good care of my dress. I had enough problems to deal with, with the media. I didn't want a fashion faux pas to be part of that list. Edward sat beside me, running a hand methodically through his hair.

"Breathe, Edward. We're almost there." I replied soothingly, squeezing his hand.

He cracked a smile. "I'm fine. Just…not used to this."

I smiled. "I'm not even used to it."

"That's good to know." He replied dryly.

"We're here." The limo driver said from the front. "Are you ready, Miss?"

"I always am." I said coolly. "You first, Edward."

He rubbed his hand together, and gave me one last glance. The driver opened the door, and I could see the flashes from the cameras. I sighed. We were going to get a lot of attention tonight. Edward ducked out of the limo, and fixed his suit. He smiled dazzlingly at the horde of cameras – like a pro – before turning and offering a hand for me. I grasped it graciously, and stepped out of the limo, my high heels as uncomfortable as it always was. There were immediate calls of my name and compliments from people around me.

I slipped my arm in his, and he smiled down at me teasingly, winking subtly. I cracked a smile despite myself. "Are you ready?" I whispered.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

We walked, arm in arm, towards the middle of the carpet, where the back drop was. We stopped, and I quietly instructed him to pose for pictures. He smiled crookedly in that heartbreaking way he did – stupidly delicious smile – and I smiled broadly at the cameras. My cheeks were growing tired, so I resorted to smirking playfully and winking towards the various flashes of light. We separated after a while, taking our individual pictures – I'll never forget Edward's facial expression when I let go of his arm! It was a mixture of fear and anxiety.

A reporter pushed towards me with a microphone, and a cameraman behind her. "Bella! You look fabulous tonight."

I smiled graciously. "Thank you very much."

"Samantha, from E! Entertainment." She replied. "What are you wearing?"

"Alice Cullen, of course." I smiled, winking. "She made this just for me."

"That's great!" she gushed. "Now, I hate to pry." Like hell she did. "But is it true that you got married?"

My smile didn't falter. "Yes, it's true."

"Well, congratulations." She exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with the juiciness of the story. "Did he come with you tonight?"

"As a matter of fact, he did." I replied, easily. "He's right over there, taking pictures."

She glanced at Edward and the camera moved to him immediately. "Wow, he's very handsome. You are very lucky, Bella."

I smirked despite myself. "That he is." I answered a few of her questions with vague answers before moving back to Edward

"What'd she want?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow, ignoring the flashes of the camera.

"Just wanted some information on our marriage." I giggled, fitting my arm with his again. "I'm playing my role pretty well huh?"

"Perfectly." He praised. "I'm not doing too bad myself." We paused to take a picture.

"You're doing wonderfully. I'm sorry to drag you into this."

He smiled. "It's actually very entertaining."

"Just don't look at the cameras directly. You might go blind."

He laughed. "I'll remember that."

"Bella! Over here!" A woman standing with a cameraman called from the side.

I sighed. "Are you ready? I think this will go smoothly if you came with me." I smiled apologetically. "It won't take too long, don't worry."

"I'm fine." He replied. "Lead the way."

We walked to the reporter, stopping every now and then to pose for some pictures. "Bella Swan! How are you today?"

"I'm great. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, thanks for asking." She smiled. "I'm Jodie from Entertainment Tonight. I just want to ask you some questions."

"Ask away." I allowed. Edward squeezed my hand, and I smiled up at him.

"What's the story behind the new clothing and perfume line?"

"Well, as you know, one of my best friends is the incredibly famous designer Alice Cullen." I smiled to the camera. My cheeks were going to be sore in the morning. "She has been urging me to create a fashion line – and she promised she would help. I relented, and the line was born."

"What type of clothes are you making?"

"They're more fresh and bubbly, with bright colors. It's a take on Alice's bubbly personality and my spontaneity. We think it'll attract both the younger and older generation – or, at least, that's what we're hoping for."

"Fantastic." Her eyes flashed. "Now, for the story about your marriage."

Edward stiffened subtly behind me, and it was my turn to squeeze his hand.

"I knew that was going to come up." I joked. I saw Edward crack a smile.

"So, what's the story?"

"Well, Edward and I," I smiled at Edward, "Met in college five years ago. He's the cousin of my best friend Rosalie's ex-boyfriend and we met because we ran in similar circles."

"We lost contact for a little while." Edward interjected, obviously thinking he should do some talking as well. "But we had the occasional meal until I finally decided to pull our relationship to the next level, and the rest is history."

I smiled up at him lovingly, and tried to keep a straight face.

"What a sweet story." Jodie replied. "Why did you finally decide to come out with your relationship?"

"It's difficult to hide a relationship once you've already gotten married." I laughed. "And why would I want to hide the most important person in my life?"

He smiled at me, and Jodie looked pointedly at the camera man before asking us another question. This time, her eyes were only for Edward. "It's nice to meet you, Edward?" She trailed off.

"Masen. Edward Masen." He finished. "It's a pleasure."

"Would you mind if I asked you another question?" She asked. God. Flirting with my husband. Have some self respect for crying out loud.

Edward didn't seem to notice. "Nothing too personal, I hope." He joked.

She winked at him, and I held the barf in my mouth. I made sure to keep my expression breezy. I didn't want a nasty picture of me rolling my eyes hit the internet in the morning. "I'm sure I'll have a chance to ask you a question like that some other time."

What kind of idiot flirted with my husband when I was standing right there! Edward was beginning to get a little uncomfortable under her stare. I get that Edward is exceptionally handsome, but she has to learn to stop looking at taken men like something to eat.

"Anyway," She replied. "How did you propose?"

I stiffened immediately, and I knew Edward was in the same state. We hadn't come up with an explanation or any type of story for that. I looked at him immediately. He was still smiling – but I knew it took some effort.

"Well –" I began.

He squeezed my hand for a second. "I'll tell the story, babe."

I sighed, relieved, and smiled at him. "Okay."

He turned his gaze to Jodie and the cameraman, his eyes twinkling. I was anticipating what he would say. "Her favorite flowers are white roses." He replied. How did he know that? I stared at him questioningly but he continued. "One of my cousins is a florist and owns a large flower shop in Manhattan. I talked to her for a week, planning out how to propose in the perfect way – the only way that was good enough for a woman as perfect as Bella."

I smiled despite myself. It was too sweet.

He smiled down at me immediately. "I told her I needed to visit my cousin because she was having some problems, so we drove to her shop. We walked to the back – that I had purposely decorated with dimly lit candles. I don't think she realized that I was going to propose." His grin was wider. "I pretended to talk to my cousin for a little while, and then she left, saying she needed to 'call a customer.' Bella was perfectly fine in the company of the large number of brilliantly colored flowers."

I could feel tears coming on. That would have been the sweetest thing.

"Once we were alone, the room lit only by candles, I brought her to the center of the room, where a large display of roses were placed. It was a brilliant cascade of bright red rose petals, and she gasped from the beauty of it. Her eyes were twinkling, and she was in awe to how beautiful it looked." He continued. "When the fan in the corner of the room turned towards the display, the wind pushed the layer of red petals through the air, and they floated gently to the ground. I heard her small intake of breath as she looked at the display again. Underneath the layer of red petals were the words "Will you marry me?" spelled out in bouquets and petals of her favorite white roses, contrasting starkly with the dark red roses. By the time she turned around, I was down on my knees, her diamond ring and velvet box in my hands."

I inhaled deeply, imagining it in my mind. That really would be the perfect way for someone to propose to me. I smiled through my inexplicable tears, but a single tear slipped from my eyes and down my cheeks.

"That is so sweet, Edward." Jodie said. "That must have been wonderful." She said to me.

"It really was." I choked out, my voice distorted from my tears.

"Aw, look at you. It must have been incredibly special. You're in tears."

"It was the best moment of my life." I whispered incoherently. Jodie walked away with her cameraman to talk to another couple coming down the red carpet. Edward pulled me to the side, sneaking me away from the tirade of cameras and reporters.

"Are you okay?" He whispered sweetly, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face.

"I'm such a loser." I muttered, wiping my tears. Thank goodness for waterproof mascara. "I'm crying at my own party."

He chuckled. "Only you would do that."

I swatted him. "Shut up. I'm not usually emotional."

He smiled. "Want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." I said, automatically.

"Then why are you crying?" He asked.

"I don't want to say." I muttered. I felt like such an idiot. Crying for a story that wasn't even _true_.

"Tell me." He commanded. "If it's something I did then I'm really, and truly sorry. I'm sure I must have messed up somehow – did I answer the question wrong? I'm sorry if I ruined even more – it's bad enough that I threw you into this situation. If you want, I just won't go with you to any other eve –"

"No, you didn't do anything." I interrupted. "You really didn't do anything. I'm just…I don't know. That story…" I trailed off.

"The proposal?" He said, quietly.

"Yeah." I smiled. "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

He nodded mutely.

"How did you come up with it?"

"It's the way I've always wanted to propose to the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with." He explained, his voice suddenly serious.

I immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry you had to sacrifice it for my sake."

His eyes immediately changed. "No, Bella. Don't be sorry. It was my choice – and if keeping this as realistic as possible means this much to you, then it means a lot to me too."

"You're too nice you know that?" I mumbled.

He smiled. "Want to go back?"

"Ugh. They're going to start spreading rumors that I'm pregnant – and that's the reason why I broke down crying."

He laughed. "We'd have to pull a pillow under your dress to prove them right."

"Touch my pillows and I'll personally assassinate you."

He barked a laugh of surprise. "My wife, ladies and gentlemen!"

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**A/N: Aw, wouldn't you love to be proposed to that way? I know I would (hint hint nudge nudge to my future fiancé, wherever you are!). Haha. Tell me what you think! I really hope this gets good feedback – It's back to more Eddie Bellie action than Rosie Emmie. Haha. I'm hyper, because IM ON VACATION BABY!**

**Reviewww! If you like me at all, or like this story at all, please review! **

**Lots of love,**

**-Kim  
**

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Review Responses

**Angel4057**: I think it would be strange for them to get together immediately. They didn't end their relationship in good terms, and I know I wouldn't be able to take someone who broke my heart with open arms. Thank you. I'm glad you think so.

**Sprinter1**: Marvelous? That's epic! I've never had someone say that about me or my stories! Here's the update.

**Arbix3: **Aw, thanks a million! We should totally go to city hall. And like, get the senator to like, sign our shirts or something! Here's the next chapter.

**Confused55**: Haha, fake story. Sweet! Haha, same here. I'm going to bed after this. It's crazy late. My mum's already shouting! I'm sorry these review responses are incredibly short and un-detailed. I swear the next chapter will have much better review responses! Good night!

**Race for the clock tower**: YAY 58th reviewer! HIGH FIVE WOMAN! Hahahaha. Nope. You got number 58. WOOT! I didn't understand a word you said at the end, but OKAY!

**Friends**: Thank you. I was so sure people would hate it!

**Q'uest**: I'm thrilled that you liked it. Here is the update.

**Avatea**: Hahah! Really? I'm so glad you liked it! Philosophy, comedy, heart-break and romance…that's exactly what I was going for. Thank you. I'm glad you like those characters – I really hope they're different than in other stories you have read.

**Calico Rayne**: Hahaha! Sue me?! Schweet! I'm so excited for that. I'm sure my nonexistent lawyers would love to help me with that. Yup. I probably will, unfortunately. Hahahah. I like Rosalie and Emmett better than Alice and Jasper. I think they're a lot more interesting – although I love Jasper's character as well. I hope this story is a breath of fresh air! I would hate to know it is redundant.

**Frankfart101**: Haha! I KNOW RIGHT? I would love to do that.

**Medea Ariadne DeMarchi**: I'm glad you liked this chapter. I love writing about Edward and Bella – they're always so fun to do! Here's the next chapter! A lot of EdxBel action in this one!


	8. Apartment

**A/N: Hey people! Thanks for all the reviews. We hit the 70 mark! Do you think we can reach 80 by the next chapter? **

**Summary: Isabella Swan is the person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any characters involved. However, certain characters are mine, as well as the plot line. **

**REMEMBER: Reviews are love! **

**I want to apologize for this chapter. As much as I hate stereotypes, Alice is a bit stereotypical. I despise stories that involve Alice playing Bella-Barbie every time they go out (no, she's not going to spend 8 hours fixing up Bella's hair to go to the ice cream parlor). Alice does not only shop when she goes out. **

**In this story, Alice is head strong, in a committed relationship, and is much too busy to go shopping every four seconds. However, I wanted to pull Alice in this chapter, because I have neglected her for the past few chapters. I managed to fit her in a scene with Bella, but unfortunately, it has a certain smudge of stereotypical mush to it. **

**Don't get me wrong – she isn't squealing like a child screaming "OMG SALES!" But she is a fashion designer, as already stated, and being a fashion designer, she does care a mighty bit about clothes. Namely, Bella's clothes. Don't worry, I'm not going to make Bella complain all day about shopping. I'm not going to describe everything they see. And it is not going to be redundant. **

**That little section will only be a few words, a few sentences. So please, bear with me. It isn't even very important. I just wanted to include Alice some how. This is Alice's moment to shine (though not for much; as said before, Rosalie will have a bigger part than Alice). **

**Basically, I'm apologizing because this chapter is depressingly redundant and stereotypical. I didn't mean for it to happen. And I'm afraid I will get loads of hate mail for it. So please. Forgive me. **

**I'm KSWIZZLED on Twitter. **

**KGRLZ99_USC(at)hotmail(dot)com on Facebook and for general messaging.**

**DOUBLELINGO on YouTube

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Urban Decay

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Chapter 8: A Mountain of Issues

* * *

**B**

There's that supposed spark within someone when they meet that one special person for the first time, often dubbed as "Love at first sight." Now, I wouldn't begin my little monologue with that if I didn't have something to say.

And here is what I have to say: anyone who believes in "Love at first sight" is either delusional or is desperate. Love at first sight does not, and I repeat, does not exist. How can you know just by a glance that you want to spend the rest of your life with that person? How do you know from that hint of a smile that you want to wake up next to him, for the rest of your life?

Imagine these two scenarios, and think of which one you would rather be in.

Scenario number 1: You're walking through the mall when you find the most attractive man you have ever seen. He has golden, disheveled hair with the tiniest bit of scruff on his face. He has striking navy-blue eyes and a sharp nose, with perfect lips the right shade of red and pink. He wore an outfit that screamed Armani which meant he was doing well for himself. He had this heartbreaking half-smile on his face.

Your eyes meet. His smile widens, and yours immediately brightens. Four months later, he proposes. Six months after that, you're walking down the aisle. Two weeks later, you're divorced.

What a happy ending, am I right?

Scenario number 2: You take classes at the local university. You're running late, so you choose to take a shortcut through the park. You're walking – rather fast – through the park, avoiding trees and random stumps in an effort to reach the university in time. You're making good progress when suddenly, out of no where, a football whacks you right on the side of your head, and you fall awkwardly to the ground.

You rub your ankle, and, squinting, you notice a figure running towards you. You see flashes of brown hair and a red shirt. He reaches you – and you immediately notice his obvious handsomeness. But you are blinded by your anger – you are officially late for your class.

He apologizes profusely, and offers to take you to lunch to make up for it. You figure you might as well meet him – it is a free meal, after all. When you reach your class, your teacher is furious and gives you a big, fat zero for the day. You spend the whole ride home – and the whole night – cursing the man you met at the park's name.

The next day, you grudgingly meet him at the restaurant. Once you get to know him better, your bitter anger fades, and you enjoy a meal with him – enjoyed it so much, that you choose to meet him once again.

Six months later, he proposes. The summer of the next year, you're married at sunset in a glass chapel in Bali. Two years later, you have your first child. Eighteen years later, you walk into your child's empty room for the first time since she left for college. Eight years later, you're in tears at her graduation. Five years later, you're walking your child down the aisle, beaming proudly through your tears at both your husband and your daughter.

Three years later, you're cradling your first grand child.

A much better ending, am I right?

All I'm saying is don't delude yourself in believing in first impressions. You might wind up marrying the person you never would have dreamed of marrying. You might end up divorced to the man of your dreams. Love is completely up to fate – and fate has a tendency to kick you in the crotch when you least expect it.

Which brings me to the next topic – how do you know when you're in love? Despite the number of relationships I have been in, I know that I have never been in love. Maybe a massive number of 'like' on the brink of love, but never love. I've never been with someone who I knew I wanted to spend my life with.

Jasper and Alice are in love. Rosalie and Emmett were in love.

There are people who say that they loved every single person they dated. If that were true, then why did they pick to break up or stay with certain people, if they loved all of them? Some people are just in love with love, and they go through their life, flying through one relationship to another, falling in love over and over again for the wrong reasons.

Which is perfectly fine of course, but you're placing your heart in your hand, and it's tipping precariously from your palm.

All I know is that I am not like that.

When I'm older, and my daughter asks me who my first love was…I don't want to have to pull out an old photo album and pick through the pictures. I want to be able to point across the room and say, "_He's sitting right over there."

* * *

_

**E**

I sipped my iced tea, tapping my feet impatiently. Either he was late, or I was incredibly early, and I had a tendency of arriving thirty minutes after the meeting time. My eyes darted around the room, noting all the different colors of heads, but not once finding the one I was looking for.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I grudgingly answered it. "Hello?"

"I apologize for being late." He replied, and I could hear the sound of the car doors slamming behind him. "I had an impromptu meeting with someone, and I couldn't leave. I'm here now."

A distinct _ding_ from the bell attached to the door confirmed his statement. I snapped the phone shut and waved him over. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were tired, his faded eye bags beginning to grow more pronounced. His suit was creasing slightly, but it was still as flawless as it always was.

"Hello, cousin." He greeted, sitting down, and waving the waiter over. It was an attractive twenty-something year old woman with dark red hair. "Lime frost with a dash of lemon please." She nodded squarely and took her leave.

I sipped my drink. "It's been a while, Emmett."

"Indeed it has." His eyes were serious. "It's a shame that we should meet under these circumstances." I nodded. "Seems like you've gotten yourself into quite the situation."

"I know." I sighed. "But I don't think it's as bad as you think."

"Explain." He commanded.

I winced. This was the exact reason why I didn't go out to lunch with him more often – it was impossible to have a normal conversation with him. He would immediately take control of the topic, as if we were in a court room or in the conference room instead of sipping iced drinks in a bistro. I had to match his tone, and his carefully chosen words if I wanted to have some say in our conversation. "Bella and I are handling this situation much better than what you may have guessed."

"So I have heard." He replied, accepting his drink from the waiter. He sipped it before continuing. "But it's a situation all the same. I'm assuming the press has already been notified."

I nodded. "They have been harassing Bella's publicist, Jacob Black, for days now. I accompanied her to the opening of her perfume and clothing line two days ago, as a way to confirm the rumors and convince the press that this marriage was not just over a bottle of vodka."

"I didn't know about that." He said, somberly, but I could hear the distaste in his words. He disliked being the last to know. "What happened during the event?"

"We were approached by a number of reporters. We took dozens of photos – but that's mandatory I guess." I replied, taking another sip.

"Did these supposed reporters ask any questions?"

"Obviously." He raised an eyebrow at my tone. "But the questions were generalized questions, nothing too personal."

"So, if I were to turn on E! Entertainment or another one of those cloned TV shows, I won't encounter videos of you confessing the various lies you have set up for your marriage?"

I winced. "Nothing too descriptive."

"Stupid cousin," he muttered. "Whether you choose to believe me or not, every thing you say to one of those wretched reporters is magnified tenfold once they hit the air. It's best for you to let Bella handle all this."

"But wouldn't it be more realistic for me to have a say in things?" I protested.

"Not if you're going to screw it all up." He said, soberly.

I glared. "I'm not going to screw anything up. I have never screwed anything up in my life."

"Are you sure?" He chuckled "If I remember correctly, that relationship you had with that girl – Tanya, I believe – went to hell because of the way you both screwed up." He took a large gulp of his drink, his eyes dancing humorously.

My glare tightened. "That isn't any of your business, Emmett. It'd be best if you didn't stick your head into things that don't concern you."

"And let's not forget the latest problem we face because of your mistakes." He continued, his words holding a taunting edge. "You should probably think twice before you say you haven't screwed up."

"You're one to talk." I retorted, sarcastically.

His eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

"Perhaps I did mess up with Tanya, and I may have made a mistake with Bella, but none of that even compares to how you screwed up your relationship with Rosalie."

"That is none of your concern." He glared.

"Isn't it?" I sipped my drink casually. "If I remember correctly, Rosalie is Bella's best friend, isn't she? And being my cousin, you're forced to interact with Rosalie more than you'd like. I'm fairly certain you can't stay in the same room without wanting to throw her into a wall."

"If you knew what was best for you, you would drop this subject _now_."

"She left you five years ago and you still haven't gotten over it." I replied. "Before you accuse me of making mistakes, why not look at yourself and watch as your mountain of mistakes grows larger and larger every time you see her."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Edward." He replied, sipping his drink. He was grasping his drink so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

"Don't I?" I answered. "I'm your cousin, Emmett. I'm not a sponsor you're trying to persuade, and I'm not a client you're trying to delude into supporting you. We're blood relatives. Don't talk to me like I owe something to you, because I don't. As unfortunately corny as it may sound, we are family, whether you like it or not."

"I know that, cousin."

"Then don't pretend like you and Rosalie are just fine." I said. "I know you aren't, and I know on some level, you know you aren't either. Something between you two hasn't completely died yet, and unless you're willing to stop and try to pick up the pieces, they will be gone, and your chances with her will have disappeared."

"What if I didn't want those chances to be there in the first place?"

"But you do." I replied. "Look, Emmett. I've known you all my life, and I know the difference between how you were five years ago and how you are now. You were much happier back then, albeit less successful. But haven't you ever wished to go back the way it used to be?"

"Yes." He said simply.

"Then what's stopping you?"

"You don't understand, Edward." He sighed. "Things are more complicated than you think. I'm five years older, five years more mature than when I saw her last. We have both grown from our time away from each other, and I know that I'm not the same as I was before. Who's to say that she's going to want to be with me after seeing me for who I am now?"

"But you're still you." I argued. "She fell in love with _you_. Honestly, I don't think people can change. You are who you are at the end of the day, and that's probably who you've always been."

"I feel like such a prat for discussing my problems when your problem is obviously more dire."

"Maybe mine aren't as bad as you think."

"Explain."

"Bella…well, I don't know what it is about her, but I'm comfortable about her." I admitted, softly. "To be completely honest, she's not like all the rest."

"What are you saying, Edward? Do you have feelings for her?"

"No." I said automatically. "Maybe. I don't think so. I guess I'm just intrigued by her."

He shook his head. "You're attracted to her. Is she pretty?"

"Gorgeous." I murmured.

"Does she have a good personality?"

"She's one of the most genuinely kind and challenging people I know."

"Do you have a good time together?"

"Always." I said, honestly.

"If she's really as fantastic as you say she is, then you probably have some sort of feelings – above mere platonic feelings – for her, even if they may not be at all developed."

I sighed. For the past few days, I've been having trouble remembering the fact that our marriage wasn't supposed to happen, and was going to end in three months. It just felt so comfortable, that it was easy to forget it wasn't real.

"However." He continued. "You must ignore these supposed feelings you may have towards her. You do not want to screw this up any further. She's probably not in the same place as you are – you are more of an obstacle that stands in her way of her dream than a friend. A burden she needs to bear. A bad business transaction. Do not let yourself develop these feelings, or you will ruin her career."

I groaned. "You're right. I'll shut whatever feelings I may have away, and I won't look back. Thank you, Emmett."

"Don't mention it." His eyes were serious. "Ever."

I chuckled nervously. "I won't."

He checked his watch. "Anyway, you must leave." His tone had no humor in it.

"What?"

"You must leave." He repeated. He glanced at the wall clock.

"Why?"I asked, bewildered. We'd only been talking for about an hour.

"I'm meeting someone at two." He replied. "And it's two."

"And, that has to do with me leaving…how?"

"We're meeting here."

"What's the meeting about?"

"The situation you and Bella are in at the present."

"Then wouldn't it be better if I attended this meeting as well? You're meeting here. It can't be an official meeting."

He pursed his lips. "As tempting as that…doesn't sound, this is a meeting I must attend alone."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll leave." I plucked my phone off of the table. I smiled briefly at him. "It was nice seeing you again."

"Likewise." He said simply. His eyes darted to the door quickly. He frowned. "We'll schedule another time to discuss our – er – problems."

"That would be good." I nodded, before turning to leave to the door.

I noticed the outline of a person through the translucent material of the door and, being the gentleman that I am, held the door open for said person. Turning to leave the restaurant myself, I heard a sudden, "Thank you."

I turned around again, and smirked, "Don't mention it."

She smiled briefly back, before blinking. Her eyebrows shot up. After a few seconds, I understood too. Now I knew why Emmett wanted me to leave.

"Good afternoon, Edward. Funny seeing you here."

"I could say the same thing." I chuckled. "It's good to see you, Rosalie."

* * *

**R**

I arrived at the bistro with a pleasant surprise – Bella's impromptu husband, Edward Masen. He was here talking to Emmett, no doubt. Our meeting had been scheduled a while ago, but due to some sudden changes in plans from both parties, we rescheduled it to today.

I mingled with Edward a bit before turning my gaze to the crowd of tables in front of me. I searched the crowd for that wretched mess of curly brown hair. And I found it. He was sitting near the center of the restaurant, twirling his straw in his drink. I chuckled despite myself. He looked like a child, looking for a way to entertain himself while the adults chatted with each other.

Walking towards him, I side stepped the various tables in my way. When I was only a few seconds away from him, he looked up and immediately straightened up, getting up to his feet. He offered me his hand and I shook it briefly, before sitting on the chair across from him.

"Emmett." I greeted.

"Rosalie." He said, with the exact same tone. "Would you like a drink – and a light snack, perhaps?"

"That would be good." I allowed.

He waved the waitress over, and ordered another glass of that green diarrhea in a cup that he was drinking – god knows why anyone would order that – and looked at me expectedly.

"Dr. Pepper on the rocks – er – with ice." I ordered. "And a club sandwich." The waiter smiled before returning to the counter.

"I see you still like Dr. Pepper." He commented casually.

"I couldn't kick the habit." I confessed.

He chuckled. "I didn't think you would."

"Anyway," I changed the subject, awkwardly. "I guess you spoke to Edward?"

The waiter returned with our drinks. I grabbed mine eagerly, and swallowed a long gulp of it.

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"How's he doing? I mean, I know Bella's side of the story, but I don't know about his."

"He's alright. He said they're doing much better than we might have thought."

"Yeah, that's what she said too."

"Although there was more to our conversation." He said, sipping his drink.

"Do elaborate."

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure if he would appreciate me discussing it with you."

I nodded, understanding. "Tell it to me in confidence. I won't tell anyone."

"I don't know, Rose." I don't think he realized he called me Rose. "It's a rather private discussion."

Using my long eyelashes to my advantage, I used my eyes to persuade him to tell me. "Please?"

He sighed heavily. "Fine." He broke eye contact, and I had a silent victory dance. "He's developing feelings for Bella."

"You're kidding!" My mouth flew to my lips.

"I wish." He sighed. "This complicates things."

"Why would that complicate things?" I asked. "Bella might develop feelings for him – hell, she might already have them at the pace they're going. They get along incredibly well."

"I noticed." He chuckled at my sudden excitement. "But so what if they feel the same way?"

"Then we wouldn't need to worry about coming up with a story for their divorce." I answered. "We could convince everyone that this marriage is 100% true from start to finish."

"That would be ideal." He said, slowly.

I bit my lip. "Would it be too much for me to ask you for some help?"

I could see a silent battle in his eyes. "It depends on what you are asking of me."

"Well, if they were to develop strong, genuine feelings for each other, then we wouldn't need to worry about cleaning up the mess of the divorce. It would cut off our interaction – as well as the stress we will need to endure due to their problem."

"True."

"So, I was wondering if you would assist me in my efforts to…how do I put this in a way that doesn't sound too 'high school'? Okay. Do you want to help me prove to them that this marriage isn't such a bad idea? Help develop their feelings – that Edward evidently already has, and Bella either has as well, or, in the very least, are bubbling under."

He thought for a second. "If you really believe that it'll make the solution to this problem quicker and more painless."

"I really and truly do." I said, seriously. It was a brilliant idea.

He sighed. "Sure, you have my help. I hope you don't do anything to irrational. I hope you think your methods through."

I smiled wickedly. "Have I ever been the type of girl who thought things through?"

A smirk immediately played on his lips. His eyes flashed. "Never."

* * *

**B**

Alice was taking me through the various stores at the mall. Due to my new relationship status, she reasoned, I needed to adjust my wardrobe and my overall appearance. I was no longer a woman in waiting. I was a married woman.

Yeah. A married woman who barely knew the person she was married to!

"Now, I've been watching your fashion style evolve over the years – and let me tell you, it has barely evolved at all – and I've noted the fashion faux pas you have committed and the brilliant outfits you have chosen without outside help – namely, me." She grinned. "From what I've seen, I have sort of drawn out some ideas of what you might look good in."

"Okay." I said cautiously. "What might those include?"

"Well, you have the idyllic shoulders for halter tops and strapless dresses." She replied. "You can pull off spaghetti straps, but they need to be thick and textured for them to really look good on you. You look better in warm colors than in cold colors – although, there is a certain shade of blue and violet that looks fabulous with your skin tone."

I loved Alice, but she could really be quite the stalker sometimes!

"There are number of stores here that have what we're looking for." She said. "I know your exact measurements – or at least, the measurements of when I designed that dress for your event, that is – and I've already pre-ordered some dresses and tops for you. "

"That's – er – very nice of you, Alice." I replied. "But I think my new relationship status doesn't affect my sense of fashion."

"Or lack thereof." She sighed. "I'm guessing I'm not making headway with you?"

"Nope."

"Damn. I thought the stress from this marriage would bring down your spirits enough to break your stone-cold wall of defiance."

I smiled. "Nothing can break me down." I waved her off, giggling. "Is it okay if we take a rain check on this shopping trip? I need to check with Jacob with a few things. Plus, I need to get home and fix up the mountains of documents I have concerning my endorsements and sponsorships."

Alice frowned. "You would think after this mess of a marriage you would lay low for a while."

"I don't think I know how." I confessed. "I'd rather be working and working instead of lounging around waiting for this to blow over."

She shook her head. "Do you want me to accompany you home? I'm pretty good with sealing endorsements and sponsorships – god only knows how many times I did that to take my fashion line off the ground."

"That'd be great, thanks."

She beamed. "It'd be my pleasure. It's always funny to watch you become more frazzled by the minute."

"That's sweet." I said, sarcastically.

"That's what I'm here for." She smiled cheekily.

After a long ride home – stupid New York traffic – filled with listening to Alice lecture me on the dos and don'ts, we were finally at my apartment. I shaded my eyes with my hand, and squinted towards the building.

We walked into the lobby and rode the elevator up to the penthouse. Alice immediately made her self comfortable on the couch, and I went to the kitchen to grab us some Dr. Peppers. We clinked our cans before taking a hefty slurp – so unladylike.

Alice looked around. "Where are your documents?"

"In the study," I nodded towards the room near the master bed room. I shuffled towards the study, grimacing at the load of papers on the table.

"Wow." Alice blinked. "That's more than I thought."

"This is a _big_ sponsorship. The largest we've ever been offered."

"If it's being offered, then why are you in such a frenzy?"

"We're seeing if we can negotiate some more money out of them. I don't mean to sound greedy, but the more money we have, the better. Plus, we'd like to get the show to more viewers. It attracts women, for the most part, but we want to reach out to more men."

"That's probably smart." She commented, sipping her drink. "How are we going to do that?"

"I'm pretty persuasive." I smiled. "But it'd be great if you could meddle and get my stakes up higher."

"I'll be sure to do that." She grinned cheekily. "Now, paperwork?"

I nodded. "Paperwork."

We sorted through the papers, putting them into piles. One pile was for signed contracts, the other pile was for documents that needed the signing, and the last pile were the papers that were of utmost importance (which I kept in the first drawer to the right, locked). I signed all the papers needed to be signed, making sure to highlight the spot where Jacob would need to sign later.

After an hour or two of completing half of the paperwork, we decided we needed to get out of the apartment. We were beginning to see blotches of ink everywhere, and, to be frank, we were exhausted. Constantly signing and organizing papers takes a lot out of you!

"Where do you want to go?"

I checked my watch. "It's four. Do you want to get a snack some place? Or watch a movie or something?"

"I think we – or you – should lay low. Let's not watch a movie. A snack sounds terrific." She grabbed her purse, and I plucked mine off the counter. "Who's driving?"

I threw her my keys. "You take it. I'm exhausted."

She nodded, and we made our way to the lobby. The sun was still high in the sky, and I grimaced. It could be incredibly cold in the morning, but usually around this time, it was uncomfortably hot.

"I hate the heat." I commented, dryly.

"You can say that again." We pushed through the revolving door. "I think that we should –"

Once we left the building, we were immediately assaulted by a tirade of paparazzi with professional cameras in their hands. Blinding flashes came from every direction.

I muttered to Alice, "What could they possibly want? It's not like I'm wearing something revealing or anything!"

"Bella!" A hoarse voice from the back of the crowd screeched. "Bella!"

"Alice, let's go." I whispered, and I pulled her towards where our car was parked. Grasping the handle, I pulled the door open and Alice slid inside.

"Bella!" The hoarse voice called again. "Joshua Banks from Entertainment Tonight! Why are you coming out of your apartment? Did you and your supposed husband break up? Is that why you're living alone again?"

I slammed the door shut, and Alice peeled out of where we were parked, racing down the road, away from the hoard of cameras.

That was when his words hit me.

"Oh no." I groaned, putting on my seat belt.

"What? Aren't you used to all the attention?"

"Yeah…but, didn't you hear what that man – Joshua – said?"

"No, I was to busy getting us the hell out of there." She chuckled. "What did he say?"

"Did you and your husband break up? Why are you living alone?" I mimicked.

"And…?"

"Alice…" My eyes burned. "Think about it for a second."

Of all things that could have happened to me! Why did the press have to be so detail oriented? Why couldn't they take things for what they were? I was in enough trouble already!

Alice gasped. "You don't think that you'll have to –"

I sighed heavily, clearly defeated. "I think I do." I exhaled. "I'm going to have to move in with Edward Masen."

* * *

**E**

"What brings you to my home, Bella?" I asked, watching her carefully. She was looking at me wearily, a defeated frown on her face. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I was so sure that I had everything planned out right. I made the right calls to the right people, I did all my paperwork, hell, we even lied to the press and got away with it." She blurted out, and I wasn't even sure if she was speaking to me. It felt like she was talking more to herself.

"Okay…" I moved towards her, sitting down on the seat next to her. "Do you want to explain why you're in such a frazzled state?"

She straightened up. "You know how I'm constantly bombarded by the press, right? How I can't turn a corner without having a picture taken from someone I don't know?"

"I know." I said dryly. I didn't want to have to walk down another red carpet with her on my arm – I lost a lot of my sight from it.

"Well, I was leaving my apartment this afternoon with Alice, and I was immediately assaulted by a group of them."

"Isn't that normal?"

"At first, yeah. But then they said something….something that _irked_ me."

"You didn't assault him did you?" I grinned at the image.

"No, of course not. I have more class than that." She waved me off. "But I'm sure that by tomorrow, there will be rumors and headlines about how you and I broke up."

"What?" I blinked. "You told them we separated?"

"No, but they saw me walking out of my apartment." I confessed. "I mean, that's pretty damning evidence. Here I am, married to a successful doctor with an apartment just as nice as mine, and I choose to live alone? No one's going to buy that. There's only one way to prove them wrong."

I swallowed, hard. Was she implying what I think she was implying…?

"I have enough on my plate. I can't handle any more pressure from the media. Once this endorsement falls through, I won't be such a burden to you. I'll be out of your life, out of your hair for good. I'll pay you back for all that you've done for me." She said, seriously. "If we're going to make our marriage look real, we can't just go to social events together. We have to act like a real couple." I could feel her heart quicken. I could hear her breathe hard.

I swallowed, blinking. I opened my mouth to say something, to come up with a different plan, when she voiced the only the thing she knew we could do.

"Edward, can I move in with you?"

* * *

**A/N: LAWL, hm. Who wears the pants in that family?**

**Am I forgiven? If possible, review. If not, that's fine too. **

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages: 16**

**Number of Words: 6, 530**

**Completed: Yes**

**Edited: No

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**

Review Responses

**Frankfart101**: I'm thinking of a way to respond to that…wait…it's on the tip of my tongue…its RIGHT there…OMG. PAPAYANY!!!! Get it? I put like, a 'ny' after papaya. Like you did with peachy….er….yeah. I have way too much free time. Somebody help me please! Save me! Yup. I think I'm pregnant. I suffer from way too many mood swings!

**Race for the clock tower**: Hahahaha! I'm glad you liked it. It's okay. Technology is retarded sometimes. I mean, just today, I was turning on my DVD player and it said HELLO to me. I was like "WTF GET AWAY FROM ME!! AHHH!!!" And then I realized its supposed to do that….I really thought that Transformers was happening in real life! As tempting as making her pregnant sounds, I don't think I'll be adding that to this story…mostly because I suck at writing about babies. It's like kryptonite for me. I MUST stay away from it if I want to live! Muahahha!

**Confused55: **HELLO THERE! I looove making new words and using them on ignorant people. It like, annoys them so much. It's hilarious. I'll like jump on the table and scream random words and they'll be like "WTF? Is Kim high again? Did someone spike her drink? Siiigh…" I updated sooner just for you =D! Love ya!

**Lovedforeternity**: I'm hoping it won't hurt too bad. I'd hate to be the person to cause them pain (I'm worried about fictional characters that I'm writing about…reaaaaal smooth Kim). I'm glad that you thought it was sweet. Haha, tell your teachers to thank me! I'm making their students want to read more! Wahoo!

**BOBLOVER007: **Aw, well it saddens me to know that there are many stories like this, but I'm elated to know that you think this one is the best. You have absolutely no idea how much that means to me. Thanks for all the compliments! I could glomp you right now (That's a really crushing hug, by the way. 'glomp') All the little details are what I like about this story, and I'm so happy that you noticed them. I love writing Bella's speech (I like to refer to them as her 'inner monologue') because they're always certain things that I'm thinking about as I write them. They almost never have to do with the story.

**Angel2057** That was, by far, my favorite part of the chapter. I loved writing it. Now, I'm practically begging my nonexistent future fiancé to find this story someday, and follow it. Thanks =D I'm glad you think so.

**Lil miss bella cullen: **I LOVE how you emphasized amazing. I think you're TER-I-FIC. (Lol, fail. I can't emphasize properly). I know right? I totally hope the man of my dreams proposes to me like that. When you get into an uber serious relationship, tell him to give me a call and I'll like, school him. I'll TELL him how to do it correctly. Hahaha! THEN I'D BETTER BE INVITED TO YOUR WEDDING WOMAN!

**Sprinter1**: Oh, thank you oh so very much. That was my favorite part as well! Wouldn't it be terrific if that happened in real life? How incredible must he be! Haha. Edward being nervous. Who would have guessed =)

**Calico Rayne**: I like writing them the way they are. I'd hate to be one of those authors who write these one night stands, and suddenly, BAMF they don't get along and they want to claw each others eyes out. Sure, that might be a little more fun to write, but at least this way, we don't' have to WAIT for the fluff. Because honestly, fluff is the best part of any story. I'm glad that you like the beginnings! It's a take on the Ugly Truth ahaha, but not nearly as good. Gerard Butler is awesome in that movie and I hate freeloading off its theme, but I love writing advice about love and this is the way I do it. I'm having a lovely vacation! Thank goodness my school comes up with these random holidays. A WEEK OFF BABY! Yup. I'm happy. I just ate a greatttt dinner. Yummy!

**Alice Maximum Redbird**: Hahaha, I can't make them fall in love yet. It's only been like….9 days or so (the timeline is so whacked out). Haha. But Eddie's beginning to develop some sort of feelings for her, even if its more platonic than anything. I mean, I don't want Bella to be the one craving for him. She's too headstrong for that.

**Medea Ariadne DeMarchi**: Thank you! I'm updating! How would you like to be proposed to? I told my mom about this flower scenario thing, and how it would be awesome for someone to propose to me like that…and she immediately thought I was watching too much TV or something. Apparently, that never happens in real life. AND, she said I'm only 14 years old and I shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that. It was a very…weird…conversation…

**Q'uest: **Oh my god, I could kiss you. I'm not even kidding. You nominated it? Oh my god! I'VE NEVER BEEN NOMINATED FOR ANYTHING. AHHH! I'm practically going to faint. I'm fairly certain that I won't get into the top 10 nominations, but just the fact that someone nominated me – even if it is only one person – is enough to make me faint. Thank you so much! Gah. OH MY GOD. I WAS NOMINATED FOR A MYSTIC AWARD. Okay. I want to cry now. Thank you so much! Ah! You're officially my third in command of campaigning. All the best to you!

**Emilio Vasquez de Souza: **Oh my gosh! I can actually speak French too! Bonjour, monsieur. Merci beaucoup! Tu ne sais pas combien ce signifie a moi. J'aime que vous l'aimiez. Quoiqu'il n'a pas beaucoup de revues, je suis heureux que les gens comme lui et lis toujours. Merci de vos compliments et de votre revue !!!!!

**Chloe : **You did too ? I could kiss you! Thank you so much !!!!


	9. Misunderstanding

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews; I'm so glad to see a lot of new faces! (names….) You are phenomenal. **

**Summary: Isabella Swan is the person to go to about love – even though she has virtually no love life of her own…until a drunken blind date lands her married to the sexy Dr. Edward Masen.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**I'm KSWIZZLED on twitter.**

**DOUBLELINGO on youtube. **

**ALTERNATIVEPUNK on blog(dot)com**

**I am **_**thrilled**_** to announce that this story has been NOMINATED FOR A MYSTIC AWARD. It's up for "Mrs. Perfect" which is an award for a great portrayal of Isabella Marie Swan and also for "The Lamb" which is an award for Best All-Human Story. Thanks to all that nominated! Voting begins on September 29, 2009. www(dot)(dot)com  
**

**For more information on how to vote, or to check out the awards site, please check my profile. **

**To hear an incredibly BIZARE story of my life, go to my profile! Review with your reactions =)**

**Hopefully you have heard of the disastrous typhoon in Philippines. Well, the story on my profile has to do with it – because I was meant to fly out on September 26, 2009, but due to the crazy typhoon, a whole mess of crap happened. I'm not sure when I can go home anymore – I guess I'm in Philippines for more days than I planned!**

**As always, Review Responses are at the bottom after the ending A/N. You guys are amazing – I silently wished to hit the 80's mark, and you guys brought me to hit 100! I'm so happy! I could literally break down and cry. We missed a few of my favorite reviewers, but I love seeing new faces, and I want to thank CONFUSED55 for faithfully reviewing my stories. **

**And hi Lavanya. I'm coming back to school on Thursday, hopefully, and I can't wait to see you guys. When you see this, tell Peter or Avi that I sent them the MUN homework stuff. And tell Mrs. Ruffle I'm sorry for missing school!

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**

Urban Decay

* * *

Chapter 9: Rainbow

* * *

**B**

Sacrifices. Nobody wants to make them, but at least once in your life (and probably more) you are forced to. It's human nature. Everybody wants to be happy. Nobody _wants_ to feel pain. But, ever since the beginning of time, you can't have a rainbow without any rain.

When I was in high school, I was always part of the yearbook staff. I always chose the page that required the most writing. My best friend – Cassidy Wale – was always my photographer – and she was one of those people that would rather be behind a camera than in front of it (and I was too, which is why she was pleasantly surprised when she turned on her television and found my face on the screen).

I would write these intricately written, long articles that the teachers would love, but no one would bother to read. The pictures would be candid shots, beautifully taken and perfectly edited – and no one would bother to notice.

All people cared about was finding their faces on one of the pages and gasping, "There I am! I was in the yearbook forty-three times this year!" as if it was an incredible milestone, the epitome of all achievements…Like after having your name mentioned or your picture show up fifty times in the yearbook, they can stop worrying. After having enough pictures in the yearbook, they win life.

And of course, the most important pages of the yearbook are the class pages. Each person worries about their appearance on picture day – is this color too bright, is my makeup too dark, is there something in my teeth, are my nostrils flaring, do I have acne – because it's all that people will remember you for…with an awful individual picture, you have a horrible piece of memorabilia.

Below every picture is a two or three line quote that each person is required to submit – a quote about their lives, a quote about their personalities, or even a quote about something as random as a jelly donut. And every year, I struggled to break my quote short enough to fit the amount of words allowed.

I had a number of quotes I chose for my years – and they all had to do with love. I guess it was a silent omen of what I would do for the rest of my life.

On my senior year of high school, I used a quote related to sacrifices, and how, in the end, that sacrifice could be the reason for your later success. I was part of multiple sport teams – I had always been one of the more coordinated girls at my school, and I wasn't about to try out for cheerleading unless my life depended on it – and I guess that's why my last quote of my last yearbook had something to do with basketball.

Looking back at it now, I chuckle quietly to myself sometimes. The advice I gave back then was so childish and immature compared to how I helped people now.

_The harder you fall, the higher you bounce back up. _

Don't be afraid to make sacrifices. But don't make one left and right – people will tell you that you're being selfish, but not a single person hasn't been selfish once in their life. Sometimes, you need to take a step back, and think about yourself. You owe it to yourself to worry about your well being once in a while.

I suppose I'm being a hypocrite – I'm not exactly following my advice. I was making sacrifices every second because I felt I owed it to the people and to the things that have helped me in the past. I guess what I'm trying to say is choose your sacrifices carefully. If it's for something you are devoted to, don't be afraid to make those sacrifices. But if it's for something that means little to you, think before you throw everything away.

I made a lot of sacrifices because of the events of Atlantic City. There were a lot of things I didn't want to do, but I chose to do because it determined the fate of my show.

Did I want to move in Edward? No. Did I want my parents and my friends to find out about my marriage because of my abrupt change of living arrangements? No. Did I want to lie to everyone I knew, just for the sake of my career? No.

But I knew I had to, and given a choice, I still would havel chosen to take any necessary precautions to keep my show from crumbling.

Life is full of sacrifices and gifts; sometimes, the sacrifices you make overwhelm the gifts you receive, and there isn't a thing you can do about it. No one said it was going to be easy. They just said it was going to be worth it.

* * *

**E**

It was getting a little embarrassing. I have always been the type of person that would take control of a situation, grab it by its horns, and pull it towards some form of success. At the hospital, when a bloodied patient arrives with sirens blaring and technicians shouting jumbled words about IV bags and dropping vitals, I shove everyone out of my way and wheel them into the ICU. You have to remain calm at times like that, and still have the ability to command the people trying to help you. Never once has someone tried to tell _me_ what to do, instead, I'm instructing them where to put the bags, the tubes, and the needles, and if a respirator is required.

I could command a crowd of fifteen bustling hospital employees to save a life, but I couldn't stand a chance against Bella when it came time to move her things into my large apartment.

After she'd asked me if she could move in, I had hesitated, and I'm sure she saw it. Sure, I was willing to go to some extremes to help her; it was partly my fault that she was in this situation in the first place. But I have always been a simple-minded person – I never liked living in the spotlight, under the heavy glares of people. I went with the simple life, I wanted to establish a career, find the woman I was supposed to spend my life with, and have a family.

I never planned on marrying a famous TV star. I didn't know if I could sacrifice the humble beliefs that my mother taught me over and over again as I was growing up for a woman I'd known for a week and a half. Yes, I shouldn't have hesitated. I should have jumped up and said, "You don't even have to ask that question!" and called the moving people, but I didn't. I sat there for a good ten minutes, just staring at her hopeful face.

After five minutes of having said nothing, her eyes had fallen. I knew instantly that she thought I was going to say no – and to be honest, I wanted to. The idea of living with a stranger was, to put it bluntly, frightening. I take relationships seriously; I don't date off the street or hook up with random strangers (with the exception of Atlantic City, of course). I believe in falling in love and getting married, and staying faithful and devoted.

Moving in with Bella did not fit that bill.

But then, as my lips formed the word 'no' I locked gazes with that haunting look in her eyes. For the first time since I'd met her, she looked defeated and weary; wrinkles were beginning to form on her forehead, and the bags underneath her eyes were more pronounced on her suddenly pale face. She seemed so lost, bewildered because for the first time, the decision was not in her hands. If I said no, she couldn't argue. She couldn't – wouldn't – beg. Her face had fallen, and I felt a sudden _pang_ inside me, because I knew I was the cause of that.

"Yes." I had breathed, my tongue sticking to the top of my mouth. I hadn't meant to say that.

Her eyes brightened considerably, and she lifted her head a little. I could see the overwhelming wave of gratitude shining in her eyes. Her lips had curved up into a hesitant smile, but I could see she was about to laugh with relief. Her cheeks were flushed, but her hands limp, as if a burden was torn off her shoulder.

She had jumped up and thrown herself at me, her arms wound tightly around my neck. She chanted 'thank you' over and over again. Once she realized our slightly awkward position – I was too surprised to return the embrace – she pulled herself away, her cheeks colored with embarrassment. She apologized, but I could still see the thick relief and gratitude radiating off her skin.

So different than she was looking now.

It was three days after we'd agreed to move in together. She was arguing with the moving man, her eyes heated with annoyance.

I pulled her away from him – though he looked scared to death, he had some fight left in him, and he wasn't going to give up. I turned her face to me, looking at her sternly. "Is there something you would like to tell me?" I prompted. "Why are you arguing with that man?"

Her brow was furrowed. "They aren't going to bring some of my things in here, because you live on the top floor, and the service elevator can't take a lot of weight." She said. "I'm trying to force them to bring _everything_ I signed to be moved. They signed the contract days ago, and I had all the things I wanted to be moved listed on the contract. They _just won't listen to me_."

I sighed. Of course they wouldn't _listen_ to her. She was speaking so quickly, and so brashly, that I doubt they understood what she was saying. "Let me handle it."

I walked to the large man at the doorway. He had a clipboard in his hands, a thick stack of documents attached at the top. "Good afternoon, sir." I greeted, politely. "I understand there is a problem concerning the things being moved to this apartment?"

"Yes, there is." He said. "She did not inform us just how difficult it would be to bring her things here. We did not realize how high up your apartment was, how narrow the stairs are, and of the serious technical problems of the service elevator."

"What are the things she wants to bring up?"

"That's the thing, sir. She wants to bring _everything_."

"Everything?" I repeated.

"Yes." He sighed. "Everything. Appliances, lighting…you name it."

"I apologize." Was my apartment not good enough for her? "I'll talk to her."

I walked to Bella who was speaking to herself in the corner of the room. "Bella, I think you're overreacting."

"I'm not! This contract was signed, and based upon the laws of this country, they are _required _to follow through with all promises that they made."

"But you're asking an awful lot."

"That is _not_ asking a lot. I asked for exactly what is expected of me."

"You asked to move _all_ of your things, Bella!" I reminded her. "I can live off the things I have here. I know my furniture and my apartment isn't as extravagant as yours is, but I know you can live here too. It's more than enough."

She huffed. "I need to bring some of my things here…"

"Not the big things though." I allowed. "I have perfectly comfortable couches, and enough surround sound for a whole family."

After a few minutes of quiet arguing, we compromised; she could bring five things of her choice. Anything. The mover nodded, and the time of the actual moving of the objects would be this afternoon, at three o'clock.

Bella was seething with annoyance in my armchair, glaring at all that moved. I had a feeling she wasn't used to not getting what she wanted.

And I knew at that moment that living with Bella _wasn't_ going to be easy.

* * *

**B**

"So you're going to live with him?" Rosalie asked. We were at her apartment, lounging on her recliners and leather couches.

"I guess so." I replied, rubbing my temples.

"That sounds like a good plan." She said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't have any other choice, Rosalie." I groaned. "I owe it to Jacob and to the show to take any necessary precautions and sacrifices to keep it alive."

Rosalie sighed. "I respect your determination and your devotion to your show, but don't you think these sacrifices are a bit _too_ big?"She raised an eyebrow. "How did Edward react?"

"He was terrified, I think." I said, amusedly. "He looked at me with this blank expression on his face, like he was thinking about something important. I swear he was about to say no. I don't know what made him say yes."

"He probably thinks he owes you for almost ruining your career." She replied. "What else?"

"I feel awful for stepping in on his beliefs." I admitted. "I have a feeling he's a family-oriented type. You know, the person who believes in finding that one person you should spend your life with and settle down and make a family. I can read people easily – I _need_ to be able to read people easily in the business I'm in – and that fact was rolling off his skin in waves."

"I had that feeling too." She replied. "It's funny how you ended up marrying an incredibly good-natured person, who is much too humble for his own good."

"Just my luck." I commented, blankly.

"Do you want to go somewhere, today?" Rosalie asked. "I'm actually supposed to meet a friend of mine at the movies."

"I wish I could, but I need to oversee the moving extravaganza." I sighed.

She rolled her eyes. "You don't need to take care of everything, Bella. Let Edward be in charge of that."

I pursed my lips, "But—"

"No, I'm making the decision for you." She said, sternly. "You're going to have a girls night out with me and Tanya, and we'll spend all night gushing about the various problems we have in our life."

"I don't know, Rosalie."

"But _I_ do. Call Edward up right now. If he's anything like the guys I've dated, he'll just be relieved that he's got some time of his own." She chuckled. "And anyway, you have a tendency to overreact when you're in the middle of an overly stressed task, like this for example. It's at times like that that your OCD shines the brightest."

"It's funny how you can make that sound like a compliment."

She smiled cheekily. "I didn't mean to make it sound like a compliment. Where's your phone?"

I nodded towards my purse. I was much too lazy, too tired, to get up and get it. I was in the perfect position. Her couch was incredibly comfortable.

"Do you want me to get it?"

I closed my eyes, and she got up grudgingly, pulling my bag onto my lap. "Call him now." She commanded.

I fished for my phone, and curled my hand around the screen. Scrolling through my contacts, I found his name and clicked call. He answered after the first four rings.

"Hello?" His voice was husky and deep, almost drowsy.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" I asked, tentatively. It was two in the afternoon. Why would he be taking a nap at this hour?

"I guess I dozed off." He admitted. "I'm swamped with organizing a bunch of papers." He yawned softly.

I chuckled, and then realized that he was much too tired to work on the moving plans alone. I covered my phone with my hand and said to Rosalie, "He's so busy; I can't let him work alone while I go off with you two."

She shook her head. "You're going. He's your husband, and the man of the house. Let him handle it. You don't want to be one of _those_ wives." She shuddered.

I winked at her. "Edward, I hate to put even more of a burden on you," I began.

"Do you want me to handle the moving plans alone?"

I blinked. "How did you know?"

"I assumed from your tone that you were going to ask a favor." I could practically see him shrug. "And in any case, I'd be glad to handle the plans alone. You don't _always_ need to be the person in charge you know. I'm perfectly capable to supervise the move."

I smiled despite myself. "Thank you, Edward, you're a life saver."

He chuckled. "Glad I could help. Would you like to tell me why you decided to let me handle the move? I know it probably wasn't _your_ decision. Chances are, if you had a choice, you'd move the things yourself."

I laughed. He knew me so well, which was surprising because we never had that conversation filled with little facts about ourselves. "It's amazing how you know so much about me."

"I notice things."

"Rosalie thinks I've been too uptight lately – all I think about are how to make the show go on even after a scandal like this. All I do is sacrifice and sacrifice – and pull you down with me, sorry – and she thinks it would be good to take a day off."

"That would be a good idea. You're much too busy for your own good." He said, kindly.

"Thanks for agreeing to take care of things." I smiled. "It's taking a load off my shoulders."

"Don't worry about it. What are you guys planning on doing?"

Rosalie was smiling triumphantly at me, but there was underlying tone of mischief to the grin.

"Rosalie was supposed to meet her friend Tanya Denali at the movies, and I guess I'm tagging along." I laughed amusedly. "I hope I'm not invading their private time!"

There was a long silence on the other end, and for a second, I thought he had dozed off again. "Edward?" I began hesitantly. "Are you there?"

"Yes." He breathed. "Who did you say you were going with?"

"Rosalie and Tanya." I said slowly.

"I guess I did hear it right then," he murmured, more to himself.

"Why?"

"No reason." He said, but I knew he was lying. "Hey, Bella, I need to go and fix some of these papers up – not to mention handle the moving plans. I'll see you tonight when you get home."

_When you get home_. That's right. We shared a home now. It was a strange feeling…moving in is a big step of any relationship, and it surprises everyone – me especially – that my first big step in any relationship happens during a marriage that wasn't even real.

"Okay, I want to thank you again for –"

"Don't worry about it. Bye." And then he hung up.

"Well, that was rude." I said, returning my phone into my bag. I looked at Rosalie with a slightly annoyed look in my eyes, and she raised her brow, pursing her lips.

"What happened?"

"I don't know." I replied. "The conversation was light, and friendly, and suddenly he became uptight. And then he hung up on me – quite rudely I might add."

"What made him uptight?" She asked, confused.

"That's the thing, I don't know!" I exclaimed. "I didn't say anything insulting or even close to suggestive. I just told him that I had plans with you and Tanya."

"When did he suddenly turn uptight?"

"After I said your names." I recollected.

She frowned. "Maybe he doesn't like me."

"That's impossible. You guys get along just fine – though you didn't have the _best_ first impression … either of you … And plus, he's never said a word about you that wasn't complimentary. He thinks you're incredible for coping with your sudden interaction with Emmett." She was quiet. Shit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mention that…"

"It's fine." She said, similar to how Edward had acted on the phone. "Maybe that's why he became uptight. Maybe he's uncomfortable around me – or maybe he flat out dislikes me – because of my history with his cousin, who, I am fairly certain, isn't part of his favorite people's list."

"I doubt it. Edward doesn't seem to be the type of person who holds grudges."

"But what do we know about him? We never really talked to him back in college, and we met him because of a freak drunken mistake. You probably haven't even had the conversation about what you both are like." She said. "I can bet you that you don't even know his favorite color."

I frowned. She was right.

"See? We know almost _nothing_ about your husband." She sighed. "I know you get along with him just fine, I've seen and heard your conversations, but that's because you both don't know each other that well. Maybe tonight, or tomorrow night, you should have a chat about it. Get to know one another – god knows you'll be stuck together for three months!"

"You're right, Rosalie." I realized. "I really do not know anything about him. I just know all the surface things – I'll talk to him about it."

"I mean, think about it! You didn't even know that he hates your best friend!"

"He doesn't hate you." I groaned. "I'm sure it's a misunderstanding."

"What else could it mean? He reacted to our names. He _only_ knows me. He doesn't even know who Tanya is, Bella. I'm not very interested in knowing, but if possible, can you find out why he has such a strong dislike towards me? Or at least, why he reacted to my name."

"I hate to sound so high school, but maybe he likes you." I laughed.

"Not only is that incredibly _gross_ but that could never happen." She smiled.

"Why?" Rosalie was the epitome of beauty; and had the personality. Anyone was lucky to have her in their lives; and Emmett was an idiot for letting her leave his.

"I have it on good authority that he has feelings – however small – for someone else."

My eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Who told you this?"

"A friend of mine."

I quirked a brow. "Emmett?"

"Maybe." There was a sly smile on her face. "But I know he has _some_ feelings for someone above plain platonic feelings."

"Who is she? She _is_ a she isn't she?"

"Yes, she's a she."

"Do you have a name?" How did I not know this?

"Not that I know of." Her eyes were bright.

"You're lying." I said flatly.

"I am not!" She said, but she was about to bust out laughing.

I frowned. "This is great. My fake husband has feelings for another woman. _That'll _convince the press that this relationship is real."

She bit her lip. "We could always get him to start liking you instead."

I chose to ignore her. "That is _not_ going to be one of the options. I refuse to allow that to happen, but I can't have him infatuated with another girl." I sighed. "I'll talk to him about it."

"What?" She said, straightening up.

"I'll talk to him about it one of these days; I'll ask him kindly to wait until our marriage is over to showcase his feelings."

She laughed abruptly. "I'd love to see that."

I glared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." She smiled. "Nothing at all."

It was at times like these that I wished Rosalie wasn't so damn mischievous. . .

* * *

**T**

I've been Rosalie's best friend since we were in elementary school. We'd met because my cousin, Irina, hated her with a passion (though I'm fairly certain she was just jealous). She had pulled Rosalie's pigtails, and Rosalie had a fiery temper. I was thrown into the middle of the whole thing, and I guess I ended up siding with Rosalie instead of my cousin.

We hit it off immediately; she was spunky and brash, and I was more calm and understanding. If you have ever read Gone With The Wind (which is definitely my favorite book of all time) Rosalie was my Scarlett O'Hara, and I was her Melanie Hamilton.

We went to the same elementary, junior high, and high school, but we were separated for years because college. She had always been an overachiever despite what people may think, and I have always tried to stick with the status quo. She went to a prestigious college while I used a full scholarship to go to a UC school. I struggled for a bit, but I overcame it.

We met again a few months ago; thank goodness. She'd made a name for herself in the modeling world and I was the co-editor of a fashion magazine. We actually met up because of my magazine: she had a photo shoot at the same time that I was editing one of the articles. What a pleasant surprise that was.

Though I love Rosalie more than _anything_, I have never been able to tell her about my relationship with Edward. In fact, she probably doesn't even know that I know he existed, which works out for us both. No one needed to know about our wreck of our relationship; some things are better left unsaid.

I'm also friends with Bella – though I know she would not consider me her best friend. We could spend hours together talking, and laughing, but at the end of the day, we didn't connect as well as Rosalie and I did. But I was thrilled to finally hang out with her again – we hadn't just been together for a good month.

We met at the Coffee Bean situated to the left of the AMC theatre. Rosalie looked ravishing in a simple sun-dress, and Bella was dressed in skinny jeans and an intricately designed blouse. It was funny how they could look beautiful without even trying – if they weren't famous already, I was sure a scout would have signed them for a modeling contract the minute he laid eyes on them.

I waved them over.

"Tanya!" Rosalie exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. "It's great to see you."

"You know we met up a few days ago right?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Days can feel like centuries under the right conditions." Bella quipped.

I grinned and hugged her. "I haven't seen you in so long, Bella."

Her eyes were twinkling with amusement. "I know; we should really hang out more often. If only our schedules weren't so damn tight."

I was just as busy with my magazine as she was with her show.

"Sit, sit." I gestured grandly. "I ordered you both some Ice Chocolates – because I know you love them, but you're much too afraid to drink them because of their calorie count. But screw calories – it's a girls night out, and we can't not get fat."

Rosalie laughed. "I missed talking to you."

I winked. "Doesn't everybody?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Cocky much?"

"Very." I shrugged.

"I'd rather not discuss how cocky you are, Tanya. As much as I love hanging out with you, that is _not _a nice subject." Bella laughed. "Anyway, you have to help me."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Will you please tell Rosalie that only a blind and incredibly cantankerous person would have any smidge of dislike for her?" She glared playfully at Rosalie.

I raised an eyebrow. "Everyone adores you, Rosalie. I can't name a single person who doesn't like you – except maybe Irina of course." I joked.

Rosalie's eyes flashed with amusement. "God I remember that."

"I told you." Bella said. "You're so vain it's scary, Rosalie. You're almost as bad as Tanya."

I winked at her. "What brought this argument up in the first place?"

"Well, Rosalie seems to think that a friend of mine hates her, when I'm sure that he doesn't."

"How would you get the idea that he hates you?"

"I called him and told him of my plans, and when I told him who I was going with he shut down completely."

"That's strange. Who's your friend?"

Rosalie laughed. "Friend?" She scoffed. "More like husband."

What?!

My eyes widened immediately, my mouth ajar. "What?" I asked, throwing my hands on the table. "You got married?"

"You didn't know?" Bella said, just as surprised. "Haven't you been watching TV? Reading the news? It's been _all over the place_."

"I've been locked up in my house for the past few days; I'm working on a big article." I said. "But that doesn't matter now; when did you get married? Why didn't I know that you were dating at all? I thought you were boycotting all men!"

"It's a long story." Rosalie sighed, obviously weary from explaining the story.

"I've got time!" I sipped my drink, thoroughly interested. "Tell me everything."

"Well, I didn't mean to get married." Bella explained. "Alice set me up with Jasper's colleague for a blind date; and we both decided that we weren't ready for a relationship. We just drank a lot, and the next morning, we woke up in bed together with matching gold bands on our ring fingers."

"What a sweet story." I commented, brightly.

Rosalie laughed. "It's not funny!" Bella said. "Everything is so complicated, because now, I have to pretend to be married. Getting divorced will jeopardize my appeal of being a love guru – who wants to take advice from a woman with a failed marriage?"

"So you're just going to…stay married?"

"No. Three months. I'll be married for three months. And _then_ I'll get divorced."

"Wouldn't that jeopardize your appeal, or whatever."

"Maybe." She said. "But it won't be nearly as bad, because I can make up problems and issues to teach. How to fix them and how to keep the marriage from experiencing these things in the first place."

"Why not get divorced now then?"

"Too much publicity. I want to let the buzz die down for a while; and I need sponsors."

"I see." I smiled wickedly. "And this is the man that you think doesn't like Rosalie?"

"There isn't a man on _earth_ who doesn't like you, Rosalie." Bella laughed.

Rosalie glared but I agreed. "Exactly." I smiled at her. "So, who's the lucky guy?"

"You probably haven't heard of him – he's famous in the medical world but not so much in the general society, unless you're looking for a surgeon." Bella laughed.

"Try me; I'm almost positive that I know him. Plus, someone who doesn't like Rosalie must be pretty damn pretty because what kind of guy wouldn't like _that_." I looked at her suggestively and she rolled her eyes. "Who is he?"

"Edward Masen?" Bella said.

I froze. She didn't mean _that_ Edward Masen did she? I thought about it for a second. A surgeon. He was head surgeon. Just got out of a serious relationship. We ended a year ago. It was serious. Drinks a lot. He could drink a lot. Reacted to who she was hanging out with. He wasn't reacting to Rosalie's name, he was reacting to my name. He was Edward. My ex-boyfriend, Edward.

Fuck.

"Tanya?" Rosalie's amused expression turned serious. "You okay?"

I looked at her, my throat dry. "Yes." I croaked.

"What's the matter?" Bella asked. "Do you know him?"

I swallowed. "He doesn't hate you Rosalie." I said.

"What?"

"He doesn't hate you." I repeated.

"How do you know?" She asked. "He reacted bizarrely to my name."

"No." I shook my head. "He wasn't reacting to _your _name. He was reacting to _mine_."

"Why would he react to your name? Do you know him?"

"A lot better than you might think." I winced.

Rosalie concealed the hurt on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about us, but I didn't think you'd want to know. And it was a part of my life that I don't want to relive. I was still in college when it happened, and it was over long before we met up after college." I explained. "I know I would end up telling you, but I didn't know that my ex-boyfriend would end up being Bella's husband."

Rosalie was silent. "Who else knew?"

"Just those who were involved in the situation." I said. "Jasper had a hand in it."

"_Jasper_ knew?" She echoed, incredulously.

"Yes." I winced. "I didn't tell him; Edward did. We ended things on a fairly bitter note, and we weren't on speaking terms until your brother pushed us back together to settle our differences and become mutual friends."

"Okay." But I knew she wasn't okay with being the last to know.

"So you dated Edward?" Bella asked. She was more curious than angry – maybe they _did_ have a relationship that was completely platonic. But I had a feeling in my gut that that was going to change. "How was it?"

"One of the best years of my life." I said, easily. "I was struggling back then; my parents weren't supportive and my friends turned their backs on me. Then, Edward came and picked up the pieces. We bonded because we both had our issues to settle."

"I see." Bella said. "I hate to ask, but why did you break up?"

"I guess after our issues were done and dealt with, we realized we didn't have much in common. We were so engrossed in solving our problems; we didn't know what to do once they were solved." I admitted. "I still talk to him now and again, but it's difficult to stay friends with an ex."

Bella's eyes lit up immediately. "Having the love of your life break-up with you and say 'we can still be friends' is like your dog dying and your mom saying 'you can still keep it.'"

I nodded. "Exactly." No wonder she was famous.

She beamed. "I was wondering, can you tell me some things about him? I've known him for a few weeks and I haven't got a clue. I only know a bunch of surface things."

"Well, as you've probably noticed, he's incredibly handsome." I smiled.

Bella nodded and Rosalie did too.

"But he has his flaws." I grinned. "I didn't notice it until much later in our relationship, but his lips are not proportional to his other features. It's quite funny. That's why whenever he smiles, he always smiles crookedly – and even though it's supposed to be a mistake, it's his best smile."

Bella grinned. "I noticed. What else?"

"There's too much to tell." I confessed. "What would you like to know?"

"On his worst day, what is he like?" She asked.

Of course she would ask in-depth questions instead of a simple, "What's his favorite color?" I thought for a second. There was a day when three patients died on his table and I remembered his face clearly. "Well, he doesn't get mad. But, at the same time, he doesn't smile. He is completely down for the day, mute. His eyes have this almost scary look – haunting and full of regret. He turns awfully pale."

"Strange." She whispered. Rosalie looked at me with interest. "So he doesn't have a temper?"

"Why, of course he has a temper!" I exclaimed. "He seldom gets mad, really gets mad, so I can't say that he's short-tempered…but when he _does_ get mad, it's terrifying. Mostly because the madder he gets, the softer his threats become. In the beginning, he might yell like any normal person. But slowly, his words turn soft and commanding, completely domineering. It's impossible to argue with him – both because of his senseless pride and from fear that he'll do something brash."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"But don't be frightened." I said. "I was with him for a year. He only lost his temper once, and it was a complete misunderstanding. There was a man named Jonathan who got a little too friendly with me, and Edward came in at the wrong time. I was pushing him away, but I guess it looked like I was pulling him towards me…so he assumed I had initiated it and that kind of thing."

Bella nodded. "A relationship is doomed without trust." She smiled. "But I bet you that after that mishap, the relationship was at its peak – the best of the entire year."

I nodded. "How did you know?"

She winked. "It's textbook." She finished drinking her ice chocolate. "I'm getting another one. I'll be right back. And don't worry, I'm done asking questions." I nodded as she got up and left.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rosalie asked quietly.

I frowned. "I didn't want you to judge me. I made a bad decision. I loved him and I know he loved me, but we sort of realized at the end that we loved each other as a friend, a sibling, rather than as something more than platonic. There wasn't any passion or fire in it. It was safe, because we knew each other so well."

"I wouldn't have judged you." She said. "But I'm judging you now."

My eyes widened. "Why?"

"I'm going to ask you this once, and I'll know if you're lying." She said, earnestly. "Do you still love him?"

"No." I said automatically. She examined me closely and nodded, satisfied.

"Okay, that's all I need to know."

"Why?"

Her eyes twinkled. "It may be uncomfortable for you, but I am impartial, so I can carry on this…mission…without a second thought."

I smiled. "Let me guess. You want to set Bella up with Edward."

"How did you know?" Her eyes were incredulous.

"Why else would you say that it would be uncomfortable for me?"

She nodded. "Right. That makes sense."

"Are you going to help me?"

I smiled. "I'm in."

* * *

**E**

She gasped as she entered the house. Lots of furniture had been moved around, and a lot of her things had been added. It was decorated beautifully; and it actually looked nicer than her old apartment.

"How do you like it?" I asked. I came out in a simple shirt and his boxers. She flushed with embarrassment for catching me wearing something like this – until she realized that she lived here too.

"It's beautiful." she said honestly. "You did a fantastic job."

"I told you that you don't have to be in charge of everything, and things can still go as planned." I reminded. Bella smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks. I had a wonderful day." I stiffened a little, being reminded of who she had spent the afternoon with. "I need to discuss something with you."

Tanya must have told her about our wrecked history. My instinct told me to bluff. "Is it related to our agreement?" I hoped she couldn't see me trembling.

"Loosely." She allowed.

"Okay." I said relieved. Either Tanya didn't tell her anything, or, she was postponing that conversation for another day – which gave me time to prepare my answers. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I guess I'm a bitch for bringing this up because I'm sure I shouldn't know about this, but your cousin told Rosalie who told me."

"Okay…" I said slowly. "I'm not sure what you're referring to."

She sighed. "I know about your feelings."

I froze. Not this conversation. It was even worse than a conversation about Tanya. Emmett and his nonexistent conscience. How could he have told Rosalie about my almost feelings for Bella? How embarrassing for her to know!

"My – what?" I choked.

"Your feelings." She repeated. "And I'm sure that you couldn't resist yourself – you're a guy after all – but I'm going to need you to hold back these feelings until after our agreement – marriage – ends."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She said. "The press would take it the wrong way."

Yeah, they might think that we were real, but wasn't that what we were going for?

"Wouldn't it be good for the press to know about it?" I asked, confused.

"No! My reputation would be ruined!"

I stiffened. Had she just insinuated what I think she just did? Did she think I wasn't good enough for her? Well then. I suppose it would be better if I truly didn't pursue these feelings I had for her. I thought that having these feelings would have helped us, because it would seem more realistic, but if this was the way she felt…

"Fine." My voice turned quiet. She knew that I was annoyed. Almost angry.

"If you're not okay with it, you can –"

"No, I'm fine with it." I smirked wickedly. "The feelings are going away as we speak."

"Well, that makes it a lot easier for us!"

How?

"Yes it does." I said simply.

"I didn't want to ask you to do that, but it'll only be three months."

"Right." I said noncommittally.

"Thank you for being so understanding!"

"No problem."

"I'm going to go be hygienic and take a shower – I want to take the smell of burnt popcorn off of me."

I laughed without feeling. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"What, we aren't going to talk after I take a shower and change?"

"I really don't see the point." I replied. "We've talked enough for today. We can talk more tomorrow night when we both aren't busy."

She frowned. "If that's more comfortable for you."

"It is."

"Well then, good night I guess."

I nodded. "Goodnight."

As I watched her walk away, I realized it mimicked what she had just said about my feelings. Just hide them. Walk away. Run.

I smiled to myself, because as my eyes followed her leaving form, the feelings vanished completely.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter will involve Bella's heart to heart talk with Edward. **

**Hope you liked it. Please review. Thanks.**

**-Kim**

**Number of Pages:**

**Number of Words:**

**Completed: Yes**

**Edited: No

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**Will be added when I get home :)**


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